Softball Preview: Blue Mountain Eagles vs. Pope John Paul II
The Blue Mountain Eagles will square off against Pope John Paul II on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Blue Mountain sitting on 19 straight wins and Pope John Paul II on three.
Blue Mountain is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They never let Archbishop Carroll onto the board and left with a 5-0 victory.
Marla Freiwald was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Freiwald has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive pitching appearances. Freiwald was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Madison Heim was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Pope John Paul II narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Kennard-Dale 3-2. That's two games straight that Pope John Paul II has won by just one run.
Lexi DiBricida spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on 12 hits.
On the hitting side, Pope John Paul II let Rylee Derecola and Abby Simmers loose on the outfield. Derecola went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI, while Simmers scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Molly Houchins, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
Blue Mountain's victory was their 29th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 24-1. As for Pope John Paul II, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 15-8 record this season.
Pope John Paul II's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Blue Mountain has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Pope John Paul II, though, as they've been averaging 8.7. Given Blue Mountain's sizable advantage in that area, Pope John Paul II will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
