Softball Preview: Harrells Christian Academy Crusaders vs. Halifax Academy Vikings
Harrells Christian Academy has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Halifax Academy Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Harrells Christian Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Harrells Christian Academy is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 18 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Rocky Mount Academy on Tuesday. They fell 4-1 to the Eagles.
Sabrina Batts put in work while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Batts has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Batts was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with a stolen base.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Halifax Academy's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell just short of Faith Christian by a score of 8-7.
Halifax Academy saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maddy Bethel, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with a stolen base. Hayden Barlow was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
Harrells Christian Academy's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-8. As for Halifax Academy, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
Halifax Academy's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Harrells Christian Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. It's a different story for Halifax Academy, though, as they've only averaged .346. Will they be able to contain Harrells Christian Academy's hitters?
Harrells Christian Academy might still be hurting after the 12-4 loss they got from Halifax Academy in their previous meeting back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Halifax Academy's Payton Odom, who tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. Now that Harrells Christian Academy 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
