Softball Game Preview: Paola Panthers vs. Spring Hill Broncos

Paola is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will head out on the road to challenge the Spring Hill Broncos at 4:30 p.m.

Back in March, Paola came up short against Wellsville and fell 9-4.

Meanwhile, Spring Hill faced Saint Thomas Aquinas in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Broncos were the clear victors by an 11-4 margin over the Saints. The Broncos might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by seven runs or more this season.

Olivia Fraley was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Haley Clark, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.

Spring Hill was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .475. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .353 or higher in five consecutive games.

Paola's loss dropped their record down to 1-1. As for Spring Hill, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season.

Paola suffered a grim 15-8 defeat to Spring Hill when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.