Softball Game Preview: Sitka Wolves vs. Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears

The Sitka Wolves will venture away from home to challenge the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sitka has given up an average of 6.8 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Sitka is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Ketchikan, who was ranked tenth at the time (Sitka was ranked sixth). The Wolves lost 13-5 to the Kings last Saturday. Wolves fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Kings since last Saturday.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Juneau-Douglas). They were the clear victors by a 22-2 margin over Wasilla on Saturday. The Crimson Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by six runs or more this season.

Brynn Wheeler looked comfortable as she pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Gwen Nizich, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. That's the most runs she has posted over her last 12 contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Cassie Chenoweth, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.

Juneau-Douglas kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

The victory was the third in a row for Juneau-Douglas, bringing their record up to 16-13-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.7 runs over those games. As for Sitka, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 14-12-4.

Sitka suffered a grim 18-9 defeat to Juneau-Douglas in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.