Softball Game Preview: Wayne Badgers vs. Piute Thunderbirds

The Wayne Badgers will challenge the Piute Thunderbirds at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Wayne is coming into the game on a five-game losing streak.

Wayne couldn't beat Panguitch on Tuesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the second inning. The Badgers lost 20-8 to the Bobcats.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Piute). They blew past Monticello 27-12 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Thunderbirds in their matchups with the Buckaroo: they've now won six in a row.

Piute let Kenadi King and Ainsley James run wild. King went a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, five runs, and six RBI, while James went 3-for-4 with one home run, three stolen bases, and four runs. Those six RBI gave King a new career-high. Alayna Severe was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Piute kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They got five more hits than Monticello's also-impressive total of 11.

Piute pushed their record up to 7-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 23.0 runs over those games. As for Wayne, their loss dropped their record down to 5-11.

Wayne took their win against Piute in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 23-7 score. Will the Badgers repeat their success, or do the Thunderbirds have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.