Softball Game Preview: North Iredell Raiders vs. Bandys Trojans

North Iredell is 0-5 against Bandys since March of 2016 but things could change on Wednesday. The North Iredell Raiders will square off against the Bandys Trojans at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

On Tuesday, everything went North Iredell's way against Hickory as North Iredell made off with an 8-2 win. The victory continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Red Tornadoes: they've now won six in a row.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bandys). They put the hurt on Newton-Conover with a sharp 20-5 win on Tuesday. With that victory, the Trojans brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.

Rylie Tucker made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Tucker was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Avery Alexander and Paige Barrymore did most of the damage at the plate: Alexander went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs, while Barrymore scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance gave Alexander a new career-high in triples. Jessie Sipe was another key player, going 1-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Bandys hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.

Bandys has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. North Iredell's record now sits at 3-1.

North Iredell suffered a grim 9-3 defeat to Bandys in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can North Iredell avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.