Softball Preview: Grand Junction Tigers vs. Niwot Cougars
The Grand Junction Tigers will square off against the Niwot Cougars at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Grand Junction is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.4 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, Grand Junction didn't have quite enough to beat Palisade and fell 5-4.
Jaxon Clark spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up eight Ks. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Alexis Walpole made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Alysa Lorimor, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Niwot unfortunately witnessed the end of their eight-game winning streak on Tuesday. They came up short against Frederick, falling 13-4. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Cougars, who until this contest were averaging 3.57 runs allowed.
Kianna Butler was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She struck out ten batters over eight innings while giving up four earned (and nine unearned) runs off ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double.
In other batting news, Anna Halverson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Even though they lost, Niwot didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with ten strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Frederick only tossed four.
Grand Junction's loss dropped their record down to 10-5. As for Niwot, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Grand Junction has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Niwot struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
