Softball Game Preview: South Range Raiders vs. Manchester Panthers

The South Range Raiders will take on the Manchester Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as South Range comes in on nine and Manchester on seven.

South Range is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They never let Champion get on the board and left with a 1-0 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Raiders have posted since May 1st.

Meanwhile, Manchester put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Wednesday. Everything went their way against LaBrae as they made off with a 9-0 win. Considering the Panthers have won 16 games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

The result came thanks to Rachel Baker's shutout, as she gave up just five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Alli Hodgkinson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Lilly Konen, who went 1-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Manchester was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as LaBrae only posted a batting average of .185.

South Range's victory bumped their record up to 23-9. As for Manchester, their win bumped their record up to 24-5.