Softball Game Preview: Harding Raiders vs. Newton Falls Tigers

The Harding Raiders will head out on the road to challenge the Newton Falls Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Harding has given up an average of 12.4 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Harding is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Wednesday. They came up short against Canfield, falling 20-2. That's two games in a row now that the Raiders have lost by exactly 18 runs.

Azarriah Phillips made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1. Jayda Hayes also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 16 runs the game before, Newton Falls was a bit more limited in their contest on Wednesday. They lost 16-2 to Southeast.

Newton Falls saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madalyn Knight, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Newton Falls now has a losing record of 3-4-1. As for Harding, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5.

Everything went Harding's way against Newton Falls when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Harding made off with a 15-5 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.