Softball Recap: Walnut Comes Up Short

Walnut dropped to 10-12 on Thursday, ending the team's three-game streak of wins on the road. They came up short against the Myrtle Hawks, falling 8-1. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Wildcats couldn't push the score so high this time.

Walnut saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brittan Dawkins, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Dawkins has hit this season.

As for Myrtle, they have been performing well recently as they've won 15 of their last 18 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games.

On Myrtle's side, Brooklyn Streich spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 13 Ks. With that strong performance, Streich is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game.

On the hitting side, Montana Nichols and Mary Ella Mayer did most of the damage at the plate: Nichols went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Mayer went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. That's the most RBI Nichols has posted since back in March. Adalyn Hill was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one triple.

While Walnut had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.