Softball Preview: Hardaway Hawks vs. Shaw Raiders
Hardaway hasn't had much luck against Shaw recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Hardaway Hawks' homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Shaw Raiders at 5:30 p.m. Hardaway is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.8 runs per game this season.
Hardaway's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Jordan 17-0. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by 11 runs or more this season.
Kamiya Whittlesey made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Whittlesey was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, Hardaway let Kei'Mayah Neal and Jayden Hamby loose on the outfield. Neal scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3, while Hamby went 2-for-2 with four RBI, a stolen base, and a stolen base. What's more, Hamby also racked up two hits, the mostshe's had since back in August. Another player making a difference was Temperance Stoneback, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hardaway was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .750. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Shaw had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Panthers 8-7.
Michayla Bledoe was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis McClain, who went 3-for-5 with a triple, a stolen base, and a stolen base.
Hardaway's win bumped their record up to 10-8. As for Shaw, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-10 record this season.
Monday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Hardaway hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Shaw struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hardaway suffered a grim 11-3 defeat to Shaw when the teams last played on September 10th. Will Hardaway have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
