Softball Preview: North Pike Jaguars vs. Brandon Bulldogs
The North Pike Jaguars will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Brandon Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. North Pike is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, North Pike narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past South Jones 7-6. The victory made it back-to-back wins for North Pike.
Anna Claire Weber spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Kate Clements was excellent, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Ellyn Williams, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Brandon's offense. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (10-0), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for them in their matchups with Northwest Rankin: they've now lost six in a row.
North Pike has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season. As for Brandon, their loss dropped their record down to 9-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Pike has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Brandon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went North Pike's way against Brandon when the teams last played back in February as North Pike made off with a 13-2 victory. Will North Pike repeat their success, or does Brandon have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
