Softball Preview: Bishop Kelly Knights vs. Ridgevue Warhawks
Bishop Kelly is 10-0 against Ridgevue since April of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bishop Kelly Knights will be playing at home against the Ridgevue Warhawks at 5:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Bishop Kelly has 14 straight victories, Ridgevue has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Bishop Kelly is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Friday, just like they did against Columbia (and have done all season long). Bishop Kelly put the hurt on Columbia with a sharp 15-3 win on Wednesday.
Margaret Acuna and Bella Rausch made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Acuna struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Rausch pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Acuna scored two runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances, while Rausch scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julia Baerlocher, who scored three runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Jaidyn Baerlocher was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought contest, but Ridgevue had to settle for a 7-6 defeat against Skyview on Wednesday.
Kylee Bradley made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Lanie Fondren, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Bishop Kelly's victory was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-2. As for Ridgevue, their loss dropped their record down to 2-13.
Ridgevue's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Bishop Kelly has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Ridgevue, though, as they've been averaging only 2.5. Will Bishop Kelly keep running through batters, or will Ridgevue buck the trend?
Bishop Kelly took their win against Ridgevue when the teams last played on April 10th by a conclusive 15-0. Does Bishop Kelly have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ridgevue turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
