Softball Preview: River Ridge Royal Knights vs. Osceola Warriors
After three games on the road, River Ridge is heading back home. They will take on the Osceola Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (River Ridge: 3.5, Osceola: 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Saturday, River Ridge had just enough and edged Sickles out 6-5. Six seems to be a good number for River Ridge as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Kylie Schuler spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits.
At the plate, Jacqleen Golden was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Mia Schwaner, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Osceola gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Lakewood a 17-0 shutout. While fans of Osceola might be used to big wins, the 17-run margin marked the team's biggest win yet this season.
Zoie Koceja was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Koceja was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Osceola got a massive performance out of Addison Futch, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Hannah Hatton, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
River Ridge's victory bumped their record up to 11-7. As for Osceola, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. River Ridge has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. However, it's not like Osceola struggles in that department as they've averaged .466. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
River Ridge was able to grind out a solid win over Osceola when the teams last played back in March of 2023, winning 6-1. Will River Ridge repeat their success, or does Osceola have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
