Softball Preview: Newbury Park Panthers vs. Oaks Christian Lions
Newbury Park is 0-10 against Oaks Christian since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Newbury Park Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Oaks Christian Lions at 6:00 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Newbury Park: 3.3, Oaks Christian: 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Last Thursday, Newbury Park sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 victory over Agoura.
Taylor Cook spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 14 consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Janessa Gutierrez and Yasmin Topinko did most of the damage at the plate: Gutierrez went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double, while Topinko went 1-for-2 with a home run. Topinko is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in the last four games she's played. Alyssa Carpenter was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Oaks Christian waltzed into their game on Thursday with 13 straight wins... but they left with 14. They walked away with a 7-3 win over the Lancers.
Paityn Lavin looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (she also only allowed one walk).
On the hitting side, Terrianna Kelley was incredible, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Giabella Otani, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.
Newbury Park has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which somehow isn't as good as their 14-4 record this season. As for Oaks Christian, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Newbury Park has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oaks Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Newbury Park might still be hurting after the 12-1 loss they got from Oaks Christian in their previous meeting back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Oaks Christian's Sienna Reynolds, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over five innings pitched. Now that Newbury Park 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
