Softball Game Preview: East Robertson Indians vs. Pope John Paul II Knights

The East Robertson Indians will head out to face off against the Pope John Paul II Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with East Robertson sitting on three straight victories and Pope John Paul II on five.

East Robertson proved they can win big two weeks ago (they won by ten) and two weeks ago they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Greenbrier 5-4.

While Pope John Paul II didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Overton with a sharp 13-3 win on Friday. Considering the Knights have won three matchups by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Clara Grace Wingo made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Laney Jackson, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Maddie Black, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.

Pope John Paul II always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.

Pope John Paul II's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for East Robertson, they now have a winning record of 3-2.