Softball Preview: Russell Red Devils vs. Blazer Tomcats
Russell and Blazer are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Russell Red Devils will head out on the road to take on the Blazer Tomcats at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Russell is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Russell stacked an 11th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They put the hurt on Mason County with a sharp 10-2 win. Ten seems to be a good number for Russell as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Audrey Patel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on nine hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Lili Smith was incredible, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabby Oborne, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Blazer gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Greenup County 8-7.
The victory (which was Russell's third in a row) raised their record to 19-9. As for Blazer, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 11-11 record this season.
Russell took their win against Blazer in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 9-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Russell since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
