Softball Preview: Wakefield Wolverines vs. Wake Forest Cougars
The Wakefield Wolverines have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Wake Forest Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Wakefield: 1.5, Wake Forest: 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Wakefield is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They skirted past Lumberton 2-1.
Dayna Bland spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 17 consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brianna Riehle, who went 1-for-3 with a home run. Brenna Colleran was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest entered their tilt with Corinth Holders with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday.
Wake Forest also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Jilian Livengood gave up only one earned run on two hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, Kaylee Bowers was incredible, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Jazzmyn Ohlson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Wakefield's win was their 17th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-2. As for Wake Forest, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season.
Wakefield's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. Wakefield has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Wake Forest, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Wakefield continue to outrun the ball?
Wakefield was able to grind out a solid victory over Wake Forest in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 7-3. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Livengood, who struck out ten batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Wakefield still be able to contain Livengood? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
