Preview: Independence Patriots vs. Providence Panthers
Independence has been on the road for two straight, but on Wednesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Providence Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
On Tuesday, everything went Independence's way against East Mecklenburg as Independence made off with an 8-2 win. The victory was just what Independence needed coming off of a 9-1 defeat in their prior game.
Joelle Alexander was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Alexander was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing three bases.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gianna McCloud, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Seven Hope, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Providence came into Tuesday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They never let Rocky River onto the board and left with a 19-0 win on Tuesday. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Providence has managed all season.
Averie Jones looked comfortable as she struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, Madeline Matteo was incredible, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Evelyn Zeng, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and a double.
Independence's win bumped their record up to 4-2-1. As for Providence, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
Providence's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Independence has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Providence, though, as they've been averaging only 3.7 per game. Will Independence keep running through batters, or will Providence buck the trend?
Independence took their win against Providence in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 16-6. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Providence's Olivia Mora, who went 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Now that she won't be playing on Wednesday, will it be that much easier for Independence to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
