Softball Game Preview: Lincoln Cardinals vs. Roosevelt Roughriders

Lincoln hasn't had much luck against Roosevelt recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cardinals will square off against the Roughriders at 5:00 p.m.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Lincoln and Ida B. Wells meet (two straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Cardinals fell 8-4 to the Guardians.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Roosevelt ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They came out on top against Grant by a score of 10-5.

Ruby Frish spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up six Ks.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Annabella Murphy, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Livi Jones, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.

Roosevelt kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive contests.

Roosevelt has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Lincoln, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Lincoln suffered a grim 17-7 defeat to Roosevelt when the teams last played back in April. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.