Softball Preview: Valley Regional Warriors vs. Haddam-Killingworth Cougars
The Valley Regional Warriors will head out on the road to challenge the Haddam-Killingworth Cougars at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Valley Regional is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Valley Regional will bounce into Monday's match after beating Cromwell, who they hadn't topped in nine consecutive meetings. Valley Regional sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over Cromwell on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Valley Regional.
Kellyn Kolber made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Kolber has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Kolber was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Riley Soares, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Taylor Rae was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Haddam-Killingworth stacked an eighth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Morgan a 15-0 shutout. The high-scoring effort was just what Haddam-Killingworth needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.
Emma Giaccone tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Grace Natanzon was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Annabelle Zajac, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, a run, and a double.
Valley Regional's record is now 5-8. As for Haddam-Killingworth, their record now sits at 11-3.
Valley Regional might still be hurting after the 15-0 defeat they got from Haddam-Killingworth in their previous meeting back in April. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Giaccone, who didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Now that Valley Regional knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
