Softball Preview: Central Catholic Raiders vs. Capital Christian Cougars
The Central Catholic Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Capital Christian Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Central Catholic's hitters rose to the challenge against a Lancers pitching crew that boasted an average of only 4.06 points allowed on Tuesday. Central Catholic blew past East Union 13-1. 13 seems to be a good number for Central Catholic as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Stephanie Garcia tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (she also only allowed one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single walk in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Samantha Nichols, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Jazmarie Roberts was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Capital Christian scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They never let Sacramento onto the board and left with a 21-0 win. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Kelsey Joiner was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Joiner was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ayla Tuua, who went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Maddilyn Woodcock, who scored a run and stole four bases while going 2-for-2.
Central Catholic's win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-4. As for Capital Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Central Catholic hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Capital Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Central Catholic took their win against Capital Christian in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 9-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Central Catholic since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
