Softball Preview: Gering Bulldogs vs. Scottsbluff Bearcats
Gering and Scottsbluff are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2021, but likely not for long. The Gering Bulldogs are on the road again on Thursday to play the Scottsbluff Bearcats. One thing working in Gering's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matches.
On Tuesday, Gering made easy work of Bayard and carried off a 12-2 victory. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by ten runs or more this season.
Danae Savala made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits over four innings pitched. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI.
In other batting news, Gabby Moreno was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing five bases while going 4-for-4. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Jacelyn Brown, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Gering was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. That's a new trend for them: their average batting average was 0% earlier this season, but in their last five contests they've averaged 47.4%.
Meanwhile, Scottsbluff beat Chadron 7-2 on Saturday.
Hannah Schneider spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on eight hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Adryana Rodriquez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Loural McCoy, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Gering pushed their record up to 11-7 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Scottsbluff, their record now sits at 11-3.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Gering has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of 0. However, it's not like Scottsbluff struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Gering came out on top in a nail-biter against Scottsbluff in their previous matchup on Saturday, sneaking past 8-7. Will Gering repeat their success, or does Scottsbluff have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
