Softball Game Preview: Wellington Wolverines vs. Berkeley Prep Buccaneers

The Wellington Wolverines will face off against the Berkeley Prep Buccaneers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Wellington has three straight wins, Berkeley Prep has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Wellington gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 7-3 victory over West Broward.

Tori Payne made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Payne wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Angelina Baronci, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Meanwhile, Berkeley Prep didn't have quite enough to beat Academy of the Holy Names on Tuesday and fell 2-1.

Mackenzie Crerand made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one home run.

Wellington's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-2. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Berkeley Prep, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wellington has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Berkeley Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.