Softball Game Preview: Grant Tigers vs. Tri County Area Vikings

Grant is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Monday. They will head out on the road to challenge the Tri County Area Vikings at 4:00 p.m. Grant will be strutting in after a win while Tri County Area will be coming in after a loss.

On Thursday, Grant made easy work of Ludington and carried off a 14-4 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Tigers.

Payton Shoemaker made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Shoemaker was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs.

In other batting news, Grant let Alexa Obenauf and Reese Gragg run wild. Obenauf scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Gragg scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Emma Thompson was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Tri County Area was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 20th straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 19-3 to Greenville.

Tri County Area's loss dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Grant, their win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0.

Everything went Grant's way against Tri County Area in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Grant made off with a 29-4 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.