Softball Preview: Jal Panthers vs. Eunice Cardinals
Jal and Eunice are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Jal Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Eunice Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Jal sitting on three straight wins and Eunice on four.
On Friday, it was close, but Jal sidestepped Dora for a 6-5 victory.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Eunice gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They beat Dora by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 16-1.
Kelli Stinson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Stinson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Stinson was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
In other batting news, Eunice let McKayla Pierce and Hallie Jones loose on the outfield. Pierce scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4, while Jones scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Pierce is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last four games she's played. Melanie Nieto was another key contributor, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with a triple and an RBI.
Jal's victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-12. As for Eunice, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season.
Jal might still be hurting after the 17-6 loss they got from Eunice in their previous meeting on Saturday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Stinson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Now that Jal 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
