Softball Game Preview: Somerset Academy Panthers vs. Florida Christian Patriots

After both having extra time off, the Somerset Academy Panthers and the Florida Christian Patriots will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Somerset Academy will be strutting in after a victory while Florida Christian will be coming in after a defeat.

Somerset Academy had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Palmetto last Wednesday. Somerset Academy never let Palmetto get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Somerset Academy considering their two-run performance the contest before.

Katie Bailey was a standout: she scored a run while going 2-for-3. Catalina Holguin also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.

Somerset Academy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Palmetto struck out 12 times.

Meanwhile, Florida Christian has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.47 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit last Thursday. They came up short against Coral Reef, falling 11-5. Patriots fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Barracudas since last Thursday.

Florida Christian saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Shaun Fernandez, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI. That's the most RBI Fernandez has posted since back in February. Another was Emma Medina, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one double.

Somerset Academy is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4-1 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 10.4 hits in those games compared to only 5.5 in the others. Florida Christian's loss dropped their record down to 10-5.

Somerset Academy couldn't quite get it done against Florida Christian in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 as they fell 6-1. Can Somerset Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.