Softball Preview: Orange Beach Makos vs. Pace Patriots
The Orange Beach Makos will head out on the road to challenge the Pace Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Orange Beach took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Fairhope 9-2.
Kaitlynn Robertson made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Robertson has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Robertson was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
In other pitching news, MK McMullan and Justine Henderson dominated on the mound. McMullan tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit, while Henderson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Katie King was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. Taylor Poland was another key contributor, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Pace came tearing into Tuesday's game with 12 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Raiders a 13-0 shutout.
Like Orange Beach, Pace also got a great game from a two-way player: Jayden Heavener. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Heavener was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tatum Hasting, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Shelby McKenzie, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Orange Beach pushed their record up to 35-1 with that win, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Pace, their record is now 21-1.
Orange Beach's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's contest. Orange Beach has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Pace, though, as they've been averaging only 0.3. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Orange Beach continue to outrun the ball?
Orange Beach skirted past Pace 4-2 in their previous meeting back in March. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Heavener, who struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Orange Beach still be able to contain Heavener? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
