Hudson is on a four-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Nordonia a six-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Friday. The Hudson Explorers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Nordonia Knights at 5:00 p.m. Hudson will be strutting in after a victory while Nordonia will be coming in after a defeat.
On Thursday, Hudson got the win against Orange by a conclusive 8-1.
Claire Eland was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). Eland was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles.
In other batting news, Shawna Baylor and Corinne Stearns did most of the damage at the plate: Baylor got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Stearns went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one triple. Gianna Pirtle was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Hudson hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Orange struck out 15 times.
Meanwhile, Nordonia lost 22-10 to Wadsworth on Wednesday. Even though they lost, the Knights' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.4 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Haydn Paul made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 3-for-3. Those home runs were her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Laura Garey, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Nordonia's loss dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Hudson, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-10.
Hudson came up short against Nordonia in their previous matchup on April 4th, falling 14-11. Will the Explorers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
