Softball Preview: Sacopee Valley Hawks vs. North Yarmouth Academy Panthers
The Sacopee Valley Hawks are on the road again on Wednesday to play the North Yarmouth Academy Panthers at 3:30 p.m. Sacopee Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11 runs per game this season.
Sacopee Valley is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 18 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against Buckfield on Monday. They lost 7-1 to the Bucks.
Meanwhile, North Yarmouth Academy had already won 14 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.9 runs), and they went ahead and made it 15 on Friday. They put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 8-2 win. The result was nothing new for North Yarmouth Academy, who have now won 13 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Lily Rawnsley made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off eight hits. Rawnsley was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played.
In other batting news, North Yarmouth Academy let Jordan Nash and Cami Casserly loose on the outfield. Nash scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Casserly went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a triple. Sadie Morgan was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Sacopee Valley's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-5. As for North Yarmouth Academy, they pushed their record up to 16-1 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home.
Wednesday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Sacopee Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .349. However, it's not like North Yarmouth Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .405. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sacopee Valley might still be hurting after the 16-1 defeat they got from North Yarmouth Academy in their previous meeting on May 1st. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rawnsley, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Now that Sacopee Valley knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
