Softball Preview: Russellville Golden Tigers vs. Mars Hill Bible Panthers
Russellville and Mars Hill Bible are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Russellville Golden Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Mars Hill Bible Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Russellville's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Mars Hill Bible's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Thursday, Russellville came up short against Hamilton and fell 6-1.
Russellville saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Holcomb, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Mars Hill Bible beat Colbert County 8-4 on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Mars Hill Bible.
Olivia Stegall made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off ten hits (and only one walk). Stegall has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Stegall was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Lila Embry was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and a double. Another player making a difference was Grace Stanfield, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Russellville has not been sharp recently as the team has lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 14-10-1 record this season. As for Mars Hill Bible, they pushed their record up to 8-6 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Russellville took their victory against Mars Hill Bible in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 14-8. Does Russellville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mars Hill Bible turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
