Softball Recap: Normandy Comes Up Short

Normandy couldn't beat Lakewood on Thursday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Invaders came up short against the Rangers, falling 17-5. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Rangers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-8 back in April.

Maddie Kirk and Ava Ramirez did some serious damage despite the final result: Kirk went a perfect 4-for-4 with one run, while Ramirez went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Lizzie Skidmore also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

This is the second loss in a row for Normandy and nudges their season record down to 5-9. As for Lakewood, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-11.

Looking ahead, Normandy will head out to take on Rocky River at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The Pirates' pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so the Invaders' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Lakewood, they will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Lorain at 12:00 p.m. The Titans have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 13.5 runs per game on average), something the Rangers will no doubt try to take advantage of.