Softball Game Preview: Grove City Eagles vs. Sharon Tigers

For the first time this season, Grove City will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will welcome the Sharon Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Grove City is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Oil City get on the board and left with a 16-0 win on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Meanwhile, Sharon hadn't done well against Hickory recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Tigers narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Hornets 1-0. The one-run effort marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

The result came thanks to Madelyn Vogan's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 18 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Sharon's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Chloe Pagliarini, who went 1-for-2 with one double. That double was Pagliarini's first of the season.

The victory made it two in a row for Sharon and bumps their season record up to 6-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 0 runs in those games. As for Grove City, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Grove City might still be hurting after the 8-0 loss they got from Sharon in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.