Softball Preview: Sacred Heart Academy Sharks vs. Nardin Academy Gators
Sacred Heart Academy is 1-9 against Nardin Academy since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Sacred Heart Academy Sharks will be playing at home against the Nardin Academy Gators at 4:30 p.m. Sacred Heart Academy will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Sacred Heart Academy is headed into the match fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with a 7-2 win over Nichols on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Emma Grace Popp spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Eileen Maney was a standout: she scored a run while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydney Mosher, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and a triple.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Nardin Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They came out on top against St. Mary's by a score of 8-4 on Monday.
Nardin Academy also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Mia Gilham gave up just two earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, Emily Gorman was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Sacred Heart Academy's win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-6. As for Nardin Academy, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sacred Heart Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nardin Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Sacred Heart Academy might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Nardin Academy in their previous matchup back in April. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Nardin Academy's Erin Nuwer, who didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 14 over six innings pitched. Now that Sacred Heart Academy 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
