Softball Preview: Central Mountain Wildcats vs. Shikellamy Braves
Central Mountain is 10-0 against Shikellamy since May of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Central Mountain Wildcats will be playing at home against the Shikellamy Braves at 4:30 p.m. Central Mountain is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.
Last Tuesday, it was close, but Central Mountain sidestepped Jersey Shore for a 3-2 win.
Adalynn McKeague spent all ten innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks. Those ten innings set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Central Mountain saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Taylor Doyle, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Shikellamy made easy work of Selinsgrove on Tuesday and carried off a 12-4 victory. That looming 12-4 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Shikellamy yet this season.
The team relied heavily on Blaire Balestrini, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with a home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Gweneth Wiest, who scored two runs while going 4-for-5.
Central Mountain's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. As for Shikellamy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season.
Shikellamy's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Central Mountain has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Shikellamy, though, as they've been averaging 11. Given Central Mountain's sizable advantage in that area, Shikellamy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Central Mountain took their victory against Shikellamy in their previous meeting on April 9th by a conclusive 8-0. Does Central Mountain have another victory up their sleeve, or will Shikellamy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
