Softball Recap: Velva/Drake/Anamoose Picks Up Fourth Consecutive Win

Velva/Drake/Anamoose waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They walked away with a 7-3 victory over the Central McLean [Turtle Lake-Mercer/Underwood/McClusky] Cougars. That's more bragging rights for the Aggies, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.

Emma Balas and Grace Balas were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Balas struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Grace pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. At bat, Balas went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base, while Grace got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.

In other batting news, Abigail Hudkins was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. Evalyn Selzler also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

Velva/Drake/Anamoose's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Central McLean [Turtle Lake-Mercer/Underwood/McClusky], they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season.

Velva/Drake/Anamoose has already played their next contest, a 5-4 loss against Horace on the 9th. As for Central McLean [Turtle Lake-Mercer/Underwood/McClusky], they will be playing in front of their home fans against South Prairie/Max at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.