Softball Preview: Allen Park Jaguars vs. Carlson Marauders
Allen Park is 9-1 against Carlson since May of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Allen Park Jaguars will head out on the road to challenge the Carlson Marauders at 4:30 p.m. One thing working in Allen Park's favor is that they have posted big run totals in their last five matchups.
Allen Park is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Michigan's top teams: Woodhaven, who was ranked 11th in their home state at the time (Allen Park was ranked 21st). Everything went Allen Park's way against Woodhaven on Thursday as Allen Park made off with a 10-2 victory. The result was nothing new for Allen Park, who have now won 13 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Melody Filipiak spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Allen Park got a massive performance out of Mak Sitarski, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Brandenburg, who went 4-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, Carlson's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They lost 22-11 to Trenton. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Wednesday (ten), Carlson still had to take the loss.
Ava Auler was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, a run, and a double. Another player making a difference was Lauren Dunwoody, who got three hits from her three at bats.
Even though they lost, Carlson didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Trenton only tossed seven.
Allen Park's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-3. As for Carlson, their loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-3.
Allen Park's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's game. Allen Park has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Carlson, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Allen Park continue to outrun the ball?
Allen Park took their victory against Carlson when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 16-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Allen Park since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
