Softball Game Preview: Teutopolis Wooden Shoes vs. Paris Tigers

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes will head out to take on the Paris Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

On Tuesday, Teutopolis came up short against Mattoon and fell 11-7. The defeat continues a trend for the Wooden Shoes in their meetings with the Greenwave: they've now lost four in a row.

Malea Helmink was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was CJ Apke, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Paris couldn't beat Charleston on Wednesday even though they stacked five runs on them in the first inning. The Tigers came up short against the Trojans, falling 17-7. That's two games in a row now that the Tigers have lost by exactly ten runs.

Alison Wyrick made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaidence Eveland, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Teutopolis now has a losing record of 8-9. As for Paris, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-15 record this season.

Paris' hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Teutopolis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Paris, though, as they've been averaging only 3.5 strikeouts. Will Teutopolis keep running through batters, or will the Tigers buck the trend?

Teutopolis was able to grind out a solid victory over Paris in their previous meeting back in March of 2022, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wooden Shoes since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.