Softball Game Preview: Carolina Forest Panthers vs. North Myrtle Beach Chiefs

The Carolina Forest Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the North Myrtle Beach Chiefs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Carolina Forest's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so North Myrtle Beach's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Carolina Forest fell victim to Aynor and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blue Jackets. The Panthers haven't had much luck with the Blue Jackets recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.

Meanwhile, North Myrtle Beach posted their closest win since March 1st on Wednesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Carolina Forest, sneaking past 6-4.

Sierra Bendik spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kiera Olson, who went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Mairead Olson, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

North Myrtle Beach has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Carolina Forest, their loss dropped their record down to 9-8-1.

Carolina Forest couldn't quite finish off North Myrtle Beach when the teams last played on Wednesday and fell 6-4. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.