Softball Preview: Geneseo Maple Leafs vs. East Moline United Panthers
Geneseo has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the East Moline United Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Geneseo gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They blew past Erie-Prophetstown 17-7.
The team relied heavily on Emily Bopes, who scored three runs while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Addison Dykstra, who went 2-for-2 with four RBI, a run, and a double.
Meanwhile, East Moline United can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Galesburg with a sharp 17-1 win. East Moline United's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Emily Stevens and Samantha Verstraete made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Stevens pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Verstraete pitched two innings while giving up no earned run off one hit. Stevens has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Stevens scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Verstraete scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaylie Pe?a, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, a triple, and a double. Miah Berhenke was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Geneseo is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. As for East Moline United, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Geneseo hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like East Moline United struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.8. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Geneseo might still be hurting after the 15-6 loss they got from East Moline United when the teams last played on April 5th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of East Moline United's Reagan Kearns, who went 5-for-5 with a home run, four runs, and three RBI. Now that Geneseo 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
