Softball Preview: Gateway College Preparatory Gators vs. Smithville Tigers
The Gateway College Preparatory Gators will challenge the Smithville Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Gateway College Preparatory is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They never let China Spring onto the board and left with an 8-0 victory. The win was nothing new for Gateway College Preparatory as they're now sitting on six straight.
The result came thanks to Chloe Ellis's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 16 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in 20 consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Paige Copeland, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Mckenzie Rogers was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Smithville scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Thursday. Everything went their way against Washington as Smithville made off with a 21-0 victory. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded Smithville with their most commanding win of the season.
Addison Otto was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Otto was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, six RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Smithville got a massive performance out of Claire Kennon, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Raini Stanley, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4.
Gateway College Preparatory pushed their record up to 23-6-2 with that win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Smithville, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-9-3 record this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
