Softball Preview: Turlock Bulldogs vs. Modesto Panthers
The Turlock Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Modesto Panthers at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Turlock is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Pitman just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Pride by a score of 7-6.
Cadence Campbell was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off eight hits. Campbell was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a triple and a run.
In other batting news, Hailey Bacon was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Ayla Lacerda was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Even though they lost, Turlock didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Modesto was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They suffered a tough 14-3 defeat at the hands of Turlock.
Modesto saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alyssa Ramirez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Turlock's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-8-1. As for Modesto, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
Modesto's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Turlock has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Modesto, though, as they've been averaging 9.6. Given Turlock's sizable advantage in that area, Modesto will need to find a way to close that gap.
Turlock took their win against Modesto in their previous matchup on Tuesday by a conclusive 14-3. Will Turlock repeat their success, or does Modesto have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
