Softball Preview: ThunderRidge Grizzlies vs. Lakewood Tigers
ThunderRidge has been on the road for three straight, but on Tuesday they'll finally head home. They will host the Lakewood Tigers at 3:30 p.m. ThunderRidge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
ThunderRidge is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 19 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Chaparral on Monday. They lost 10-2 to the Wolverines.
ThunderRidge saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Allie Horsford, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with a double.
Meanwhile, Lakewood hadn't done well against Ralston Valley recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Lakewood blew past Ralston Valley 15-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Tigers have posted since September 6th.
Lakewood got a massive performance out of NeVaeh Roybal, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Addison Gallegos, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Lakewood always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. The last time their OBP was this high was back in September of 2023.
ThunderRidge has traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-11 record this season. As for Lakewood, their win bumped their record up to 7-10.
Lakewood's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: ThunderRidge has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Lakewood, though, as they've been averaging 10.4. Given ThunderRidge's sizable advantage in that area, Lakewood will need to find a way to close that gap.
ThunderRidge came out on top in a nail-biter against Lakewood when the teams last played back in September, sneaking past 5-4. Does ThunderRidge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lakewood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
