Softball Preview: Mercy Bears vs. King's Academy Knights
The Mercy Bears will head out on the road to challenge the King's Academy Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mercy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
Mercy is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 14 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Notre Dame on Monday. They fell 4-1 to the Tigers.
Mercy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was E Gonsalves, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, King's Academy can now show off 11 landslide victories after their most recent match on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Saratoga a 10-0 shutout. The victory was familiar territory for King's Academy who now have nine in a row.
Annika Nesper and Katia Nesper made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Nesper didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Nesper tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Nesper scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Nesper went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a double.
In other batting news, Ava Thompson was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Bella Giles, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Mercy has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10-1 record this season. As for King's Academy, their win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-2.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Mercy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .457. However, it's not like King's Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .445. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mercy might still be hurting after the 7-0 loss they got from King's Academy when the teams last played back in April. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Nesper, who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Now that Mercy knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
