Softball Preview: Parkwood Wolf Pack vs. Piedmont Panthers
Parkwood is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Piedmont is on a six-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Parkwood Wolf Pack will take on the Piedmont Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Parkwood gave their fans yet another huge win on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Monroe an 18-0 shutout.
Chloe Purgason was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Purgason was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Amanda Leibowitz was a standout: she went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Geneva Yow was another key contributor, going 1-for-2 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs.
Meanwhile, Piedmont earned a 5-2 victory over Hickory Ridge on Thursday.
Like Parkwood, Piedmont also got a great game from a two-way player: Jailyn Thomas. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Thomas has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Thomas was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sarah Belk, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. She is on a roll when it comes to hits, as she's now hit three or more in the last three games she's played.
Parkwood is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for Piedmont, their win bumped their record up to 15-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Parkwood hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Piedmont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Parkwood skirted past Piedmont 3-2 when the teams last played back in March. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Thomas, who struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Parkwood still be able to contain Thomas? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
