Softball Preview: Andover Huskies vs. Blaine Bengals
The Andover Huskies will be playing in front of their home fans against the Blaine Bengals at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Andover: 2.9, Blaine: 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Andover is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Minnesota's top teams: Rogers, who was ranked second in their home state at the time (Andover was ranked seventh). Andover came out on top against Rogers by a score of 8-3 on Thursday. The victory was nothing new for Andover as they're now sitting on three straight.
Kaelyn Polzin made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Polzin has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances. Polzin was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and a triple.
In other batting news, Maia Johnson was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5. Megan Surgenor was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Blaine might've scored the first runs on Friday, but it was Robbinsdale Armstrong who claimed the real prize. Blaine lost 16-3 to Robbinsdale Armstrong. Blaine has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kayla Shaffer made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-2 with a home run and two runs.
Andover's win bumped their record up to 16-3. As for Blaine, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-6.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Andover hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. However, it's not like Blaine struggles in that department as they've averaged .337. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Andover beat Blaine 4-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will Andover repeat their success, or does Blaine have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
