Softball Game Preview: Zane Trace Pioneers vs. McClain Tigers

The Zane Trace Pioneers will venture away from home to take on the McClain Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Wednesday, Zane Trace earned a 4-1 win over Southeastern. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Pioneers.

Brynn Wipert was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out 13 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, Haylynn Boggess-Pierce was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Maddison Will, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for McClain, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Miami Trace 13-12. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Tigers as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

Amaya Ryan and Olivia Stegbauer did most of the damage at the plate: Ryan scored three runs while going 3-for-3, while Stegbauer went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Those three hits gave Ryan a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Milla Everetts, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.

Zane Trace picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 3-4. As for McClain, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 3-4.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Zane Trace hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like McClain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.