Softball Game Preview: Royal Valley Panthers vs. Atchison Phoenix

The Royal Valley Panthers will face off against the Atchison Phoenix on Saturday. Royal Valley has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight losses, while Atchison will come in with seven straight victories.

Jefferson West hit Royal Valley with a five-run fifth inning back in April, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Panthers came up short against the Tigers, falling 11-1.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Atchison). They never let Wyandotte get on the board and left with a 20-0 win on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Phoenix, who have now won eight games by 11 runs or more so far this season.

Kirrah Duncan made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kenzie Weedon-Jacobs, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Andi Estes, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.

Atchison lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Atchison pushed their record up to 11-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Royal Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.