Softball Game Preview: Edwardsville Tigers vs. Pontiac Indians

The Edwardsville Tigers will head out to square off against the Pontiac Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Pontiac will be up against a hot Edwardsville squad: the team just extended their winning streak to nine. The Tigers never let Alton get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory on Thursday. Give the Tigers' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.

Pontiac came out on top against Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run first inning. The Indians were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Panthers. The win continues a trend for the Indians in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won four in a row.

Elena Krause was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

In other pitching news, Payton Rogers looked comfortable as she pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Tessa Collins, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Those two hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nevaeh Vogt, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Pontiac hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive games.

Edwardsville pushed their record up to 19-4 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Pontiac, their record now sits at 15-6.