Softball Game Preview: Bishop Hartley Hawks vs. Canal Winchester Indians

The Bishop Hartley Hawks will venture away from home to take on the Canal Winchester Indians at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Bishop Hartley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.3 runs per game this season.

Bishop Hartley came up short against Pickerington North on Thursday, falling 16-6.

Bishop Hartley saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ellie Thomas, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Another was Diamond Johnson, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.

Canal Winchester couldn't beat Marysville on Friday even though they stacked five runs on them in the third inning. The Indians lost 17-6 to the Monarchs.

Kendal Mccrea was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. AriAnnA Jeffries also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Bishop Hartley's loss dropped their record down to 14-5. As for Canal Winchester, their defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 9-14.

Canal Winchester's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bishop Hartley has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Canal Winchester, though, as they've been averaging 12.2 hits. Given Bishop Hartley's sizable advantage in that area, the Indians will need to find a way to close that gap.

Bishop Hartley took their victory against Canal Winchester when the teams last played back in April of 2016 by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.