Softball Preview: Independence Wildcats vs. Water Valley Blue Devils
The Independence Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Water Valley Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Independence will be strutting in after a win while Water Valley will be coming in after a loss.
On Thursday, Independence beat Strayhorn 6-3. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Independence.
Irelynn Chambers tossed a big game, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off ten hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Kamiyah Stephens was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Madysen Cathey, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Water Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. Their tough 14-0 loss to Ingomar might stick with them for a while. The shutout was out of character for Water Valley seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.
Water Valley saw one different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kemorya Neely, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
Independence is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 7-7-1 record this season. As for Water Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Independence has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .527. However, it's not like Water Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .488. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Independence's way against Water Valley in their previous meeting back in March as Independence made off with an 18-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Independence since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
