Softball Game Preview: Crystal River Pirates vs. Lecanto Panthers

The Crystal River Pirates are taking a road trip to challenge the Lecanto Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Crystal River is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.

Crystal River had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Hudson on Wednesday. The Pirates put the hurt on the Cobras with a sharp 8-1 victory. Considering the Pirates have won ten matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Jenna Childers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on nine hits and racked up six Ks.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Athena Childs, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March. Mackenzie Herrick also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Meanwhile, Lecanto lost 11-1 to Mitchell on Tuesday. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Lecanto saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Justeen Wilson, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.

Crystal River pushed their record up to 19-4 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Lecanto, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-13.

Everything went Crystal River's way against Lecanto in their previous matchup back in March, as Crystal River made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.