Softball Game Preview: Boardman Spartans vs. Gilmour Academy Lancers

The Boardman Spartans will venture away from home to face off against the Gilmour Academy Lancers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Boardman is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Ohio's top teams: Walsh Jesuit, who was ranked fifth at the time (Boardman was ranked eighth). The Spartans' pitcher stepped up to hand the Warriors a 7-0 shutout on Wednesday.

The result came thanks to Gabi Sferra's shutout, as she gave up just three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kenzie Cherne, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Mia Duble also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Gilmour Academy came out on top against North on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run second inning. The Lancers blew past the Rangers 9-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lancers.

Camden Dreiling spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on six hits and racked up six Ks.

On the hitting side, Ava Gundling was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. Hailey Gray was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.

Gilmour Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North only posted a batting average of .222.

Boardman pushed their record up to 16-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Gilmour Academy, their record is now 8-2.