Softball Preview: Copper Basin Cougars vs. McMinn Central Chargers
Copper Basin and McMinn Central are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Copper Basin Cougars will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the McMinn Central Chargers at 5:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Monday, Copper Basin fell victim to a rough 15-8 loss at the hands of Robbinsville. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Copper Basin in their matchups with Robbinsville: they've now lost nine in a row.
Taylee Hall made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Riley Akens, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 15 runs the game before, McMinn Central was a bit more limited in their contest on Monday. They fell 6-1 to Loudon.
Lauren Peterson put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Peterson was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Peterson wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Riley Thompson, who went 1-for-3 with a double.
Copper Basin's record now sits at 5-7. As for McMinn Central, they dropped their record down to 4-6 with that loss, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.
Copper Basin's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. Copper Basin has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for McMinn Central, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Copper Basin continue to outrun the ball?
Copper Basin was able to grind out a solid win over McMinn Central when the teams last played back in March, winning 5-2. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Peterson, who struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Copper Basin still be able to contain Peterson? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
