Softball Preview: Blacksburg Bruins vs. Auburn Eagles
Blacksburg has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Auburn Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Blacksburg is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Blacksburg is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Virginia's top teams: Christiansburg, who was ranked 17th in their home state at the time (Blacksburg was ranked 25th). Blacksburg fell victim to a tough 9-2 loss at the hands of Christiansburg on Tuesday.
Blacksburg saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brynn Ferguson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Auburn waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 7-0 win. The result was nothing new for Auburn, who have now won five matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Faith Wilson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just zero earned runs on two hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kaylee Ramrattan, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Johnnie Gaynor, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Blacksburg's defeat dropped their record down to 8-3. As for Auburn, their victory was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-3.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Blacksburg hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .369. However, it's not like Auburn struggles in that department as they've averaged .349. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Blacksburg's way against Auburn in their previous matchup back in March as Blacksburg made off with a 9-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Blacksburg 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
