Softball Game Preview: Trico Pioneers vs. New Athens Yellow Jackets

The Trico Pioneers will head out on the road to take on the New Athens Yellow Jackets at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Trico is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.

Trico is headed into the game having just posted their closest victory since May 13, 2024 on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 win over Vienna. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Pioneers.

Zoe Bennett spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on three hits.

At the plate, Trico got a big performance out of Hayleigh Franklin, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Aubrey Cotter also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, New Athens was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 2-1 heartbreaker at the hands of Dupo.

New Athens saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carinne Darin, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.

Trico pushed their record up to 8-7 with the victory, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.1 runs over those games. As for New Athens, their loss dropped their record down to 7-6.

Everything went Trico's way against New Athens in their previous meeting back in May of 2021, as Trico made off with a 10-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.