Softball Preview: Rutland Hurricanes vs. Howard Huskies
The Rutland Hurricanes will head out on the road to challenge the Howard Huskies at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Rutland is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 15 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Crawford County on Wednesday. They fell 5-2 to the Eagles.
Briley White spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on two hits.
Meanwhile, Howard didn't have quite enough to beat Cross Creek on Wednesday and fell 9-8. The Huskies have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Abby Davis put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and five unearned) runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in August.
In other batting news, Jakeria Jackson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted since back in August. The team also got some help courtesy of Destini Pitts, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Even though they lost, Howard didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Rutland has been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 11 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season. As for Howard, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-11.
Rutland might still be hurting after the 15-4 loss they got from Howard when the teams last played back in August. Can Rutland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
