Softball Preview: Tuscola Mountaineers vs. Franklin Panthers
Tuscola is 2-8 against Franklin since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Tuscola Mountaineers will play host again on Tuesday to welcome the Franklin Panthers, where first pitch is scheduled at 6:00 p.m. Tuscola is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Monday just wasn't the day for Tuscola's offense. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Smoky Mountain on Monday. The contest marked that first time this year in which Tuscola was not able to get on the board.
Addi Sampson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Tuscola saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alexis Markos, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base. Markos has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
Meanwhile, Franklin put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against East Henderson as Franklin made off with a 20-2 win. The result was nothing new for Franklin, who have now won five games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Kendall Rumans made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (she also only allowed one walk). Rumans was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with a home run, four runs, and two stolen bases.
In other batting news, Avery Moffitt was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Laura Holland was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
Tuscola's loss dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Franklin, they pushed their record up to 9-0 with that victory, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Tuscola has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Franklin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Tuscola might still be hurting after the 20-10 defeat they got from Franklin in their previous matchup back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rumans, who fired off two home runs, four runs, and four RBI while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Now that Tuscola knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
