Softball Preview: Alexander Cougars vs. East Paulding Raiders
The Alexander Cougars will challenge the East Paulding Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Alexander is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 20-5 margin over New Manchester on Tuesday.
Erin Vineyard made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. She was even better at the plate, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Alexander let Lulu Berry and Ava Woodham loose on the outfield. Berry scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Woodham went 4-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and a stolen base. The dominant performance gave Woodham a new career-high in hits. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Smith, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Alexander kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 20 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, East Paulding came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.6 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Wildcats a 6-0 shutout. The Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to JJ Sweat's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Emma Hernandez was incredible, firing off three home runs while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Haney, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.
Alexander's victory bumped their record up to 13-8. As for East Paulding, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-3 record this season.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Alexander hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like East Paulding struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Alexander came up short against East Paulding in their previous meeting back in August, falling 5-0. Will Alexander have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
