Softball Preview: Malone Tigers vs. Poplar Springs Atomics
Malone is 1-9 against Poplar Springs since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Malone Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Poplar Springs Atomics at 5:00 p.m. Malone is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 11 runs per game this season.
Malone pushed their score all the way to 13 on Monday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took an 18-13 hit to the loss column at the hands of Graceville. Malone has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Anoshua Wesley and Jordin Josey stepped up to the plate in a big way. Wesley scored three runs and stole eight bases while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances, while Josey scored two runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-5. Josey hasn't dropped below two stolen bases for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Stephanie Thomas, who scored a run and stole four bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, sadly, Poplar Springs is still looking for their first win of the season after ten contests. They fell victim to a tough 13-1 defeat at the hands of Bethlehem on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 17 runs in the game before, Poplar Springs couldn't push the score so high this time.
Poplar Springs saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Abby Duffell, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Malone's record is now 4-7. As for Poplar Springs, their record now sits at 0-9-1.
Poplar Springs' pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Malone has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .513. It's a different story for Poplar Springs, though, as they've only averaged .338. Will they be able to contain Malone's hitters?
Malone came out on top in a nail-biter against Poplar Springs when the teams last played back in March, sneaking past 15-14. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Poplar Springs' Marissa Bollon, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Malone still be able to contain Bollon? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
