Softball Game Preview: Portsmouth Clippers vs. Londonderry Lancers

The Portsmouth Clippers will face off against the Londonderry Lancers on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Portsmouth comes in on five and Londonderry on 21.

Portsmouth is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Salem with a sharp 7-1 victory. The Clippers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by six runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Londonderry faced Windham in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Wednesday. The Lancers came out on top against the Jaguars by a score of 7-2.

Elizabeth Kearney made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 18 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abby Austen, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Shannon Crowley was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Londonderry pushed their record up to 21-0-1 with the win, which was their tenth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Portsmouth, their record now sits at 12-7.

Portsmouth couldn't quite finish off Londonderry when the teams last played back in April and fell 2-0. Can the Clippers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.