Softball Game Preview: Lunenburg Blue Knights vs. Ayer Shirley Panthers

By Team Reports May 20, 2025, 10:43pm

Softball Preview: Lunenburg Blue Knights vs. Ayer Shirley Panthers

Suggested Video

The Lunenburg Blue Knights will face off against the Ayer Shirley Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Lunenburg is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.

Lunenburg's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on South with a sharp 21-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Knights.

Maegan Martell made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.

Lilly Grebinar

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/20/25 @ South6
04/22/25 @ Groton-Dunstable5
05/19/25 vs North Middlesex Regional4
04/15/25 @ Quabbin Regional2
04/04/25 vs Littleton2

In other batting news, Lilly Grebinar was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with six RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Chloe Koziol was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and four RBI.

Lunenburg always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Ayer Shirley and Littleton have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Monday. The Panthers lost 25-6 to the Tigers. The defeat continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Tigers: they've now lost six in a row.

Lauren Reardon was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double. Another player making a difference was Kelsey Peterson, who went 1-for-2 with two runs.

Lunenburg's win bumped their record up to 10-6. As for Ayer Shirley, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10-1.

Ayer Shirley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lunenburg has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Ayer Shirley, though, as they've been averaging 9 hits. Given Lunenburg's sizable advantage in that area, the Panthers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Lunenburg took their victory against Ayer Shirley in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 24-10 score. Do the Blue Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps