Softball Preview: Pine Creek Eagles vs. Pueblo West Cyclones
Pine Creek is 0-3 against Pueblo West since September of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Pine Creek Eagles are on the road again to play the Pueblo West Cyclones at 3:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Pine Creek is headed into the contest having just posted their biggest win since September 26, 2023 on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 16-8 margin over Rampart.
Kyleigh Croyle was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off 12 hits. Croyle was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Amber Boland was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Kailani *Kai* Shideler, who went 3-for-5 with three doubles, two runs, and two RBI.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Pine Creek lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pueblo West). They put the hurt on Lewis-Palmer with a sharp 17-2 victory on Tuesday. With that win, the Cyclones brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
Pueblo West let Taci Ehrlich and Grace Dees loose on the outfield. Ehrlich scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Dees scored three runs while going 2-for-2. Ehrlich also brought in three RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Acelyn Duran, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
The victory got Pine Creek back to even at 2-2. As for Pueblo West, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 3-3 record this season.
Pueblo West's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Pine Creek has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Pueblo West, though, as they've been averaging 8.7. Given Pine Creek's sizable advantage in that area, Pueblo West will need to find a way to close that gap.
Pine Creek might still be hurting after the 10-4 loss they got from Pueblo West when the teams last played back in September of 2017. Can Pine Creek avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
