Softball Preview: Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane vs. Irwin County Indians
Fitzgerald and Irwin County are an even 5-5 against one another since August of 2018, but likely not for long. The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the Irwin County Indians at 6:00 p.m.
Fitzgerald's hitters might be in the hot seat on Monday considering what happened against Bacon County on Thursday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 12-0 to the Raiders, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Purple Hurricane haven't had much luck with the Raiders recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Meanwhile, Irwin County had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 11-3 victory. Considering Irwin County has won six matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Brooklyn Gordon made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she's launched this season.
In other batting news, Emilee Smith was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sailor Mixon, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Irwin County hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in three consecutive matchups.
Fitzgerald's defeat dropped their record down to 2-13. As for Irwin County, their win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-1.
Fitzgerald might still be hurting after the 17-0 loss they got from Irwin County when the teams last played back in August of 2023. Can Fitzgerald avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
