Softball Preview: Community Vikings/Viqueens vs. Zion Christian Academy Eagles
Community has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Zion Christian Academy Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Community is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Last Tuesday, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Community had to settle for a 6-5 loss against Forrest. Community has struggled against Forrest recently, as their contest on Tuesday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Annie Prince was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off ten hits. Prince was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Alana Tate was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with a home run. Another player making a difference was Taylar Wessner, who went 1-for-4 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Zion Christian Academy stacked an 11th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They blew past Marshall County 7-0. The win was familiar territory for Zion Christian Academy who now have four in a row.
Like Community, Zion Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Ashleia Coble. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Coble has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances. Coble was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs and a triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on MJ McWilliams, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and two runs. Leilia Rains was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Community's defeat dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Zion Christian Academy, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-5.
Friday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Community hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. However, it's not like Zion Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .360. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Community came up short against Zion Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in March, falling 4-1. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Coble, who struck out 12 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Now that Community knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
