Softball Preview: Wellington Wolverines vs. Palm Beach Gardens Gators
The Wellington Wolverines will be playing at home against the Palm Beach Gardens Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Wellington: 2.3, Palm Beach Gardens: 1.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Wellington is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Palm Beach Central as Wellington made off with a 12-2 victory. Considering Wellington has won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kelsie Riggan was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of D'Yami Meredith, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach Gardens came tearing into Wednesday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.4 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Warriors and snuck past 2-1.
Sydney Shaffer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Finola Evans, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Wellington is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-3 record this season. As for Palm Beach Gardens, their win bumped their record up to 21-3.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Wellington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .322. However, it's not like Palm Beach Gardens struggles in that department as they've averaged .373. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wellington skirted past Palm Beach Gardens 2-0 when the teams last played back in March. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Shaffer, who pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Wellington still be able to contain Shaffer? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
