Softball Game Preview: Catholic Central Crusaders vs. Mechanicville Red Raiders

The Catholic Central Crusaders will square off against the Mechanicville Red Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Catholic Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Watervliet get on the board and left with a 21-0 win. The game marked the Crusaders' most dominant victory of the season.

Meanwhile, Mechanicville entered their tilt with Corinth on Tuesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Riverhawks with a sharp 10-0 win.

Paige Rogers made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

In other batting news, Addison Pane was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Kendall Beuchner, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.

Mechanicville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are 8-1 when they post 11 or more hits.

Catholic Central's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-4. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mechanicville, their victory bumped their record up to 11-8.