Softball Preview: Northeastern Knights vs. Union County Patriots
Northeastern is 2-8 against Union County since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Northeastern Knights are on the road again to play the Union County Patriots at 5:30 p.m. Union County took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Northeastern, who comes in off a win.
Northeastern is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged Knightstown out 5-4.
Clare Lopeman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Emma Neeley, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Lillian Null, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Union County was not able to break out of their rough patch last Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They fell just short of Milan by a score of 16-14.
Annalea Adams led a balanced group of hitters, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Ally Gray was another key contributor, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Even though they lost, Union County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Milan only hit ten.
Northeastern's win bumped their record up to 14-7. As for Union County, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.
Northeastern was able to grind out a solid victory over Union County when the teams last played back in April, winning 7-3. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Union County's Bailey Mathews, who struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off ten hits (and only one walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Northeastern still be able to contain Mathews? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
