Softball Preview: Howard Huskies vs. Upson-Lee Knights
Howard and Upson-Lee are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2015, but likely not for long. The Howard Huskies will welcome the Upson-Lee Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Howard is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Upson-Lee's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Monday: Howard didn't have allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. Howard never let Baldwin onto the board and left with an 8-0 win on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Huskies , who have now won seven games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Abby Davis was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Arianna Stephenson was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. Jakeria Jackson was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases.
Howard didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with nine strikeouts. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.5 strikeouts per game earlier this season, but in their last five matches they've averaged 8.
Meanwhile, Upson-Lee fell victim to Spalding and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 10-0 to the Jaguars. Having soared to a lofty 19 runs in the game before, the Knights' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Howard is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season. As for Upson-Lee, they dropped their record down to 3-15 with that loss, which was their third straight at home.
Howard might still be hurting after the 8-0 defeat they got from Upson-Lee when the teams last played last Monday. Will Howard have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
