Softball Game Preview: Spanaway Lake Sentinels vs. Puyallup Vikings

The Spanaway Lake Sentinels will head out to face off against the Puyallup Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Spanaway Lake has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with ten straight losses, while Puyallup will come in with five straight victories.

Spanaway Lake came up short against Emerald Ridge on Tuesday, falling 19-4.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Puyallup ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Montesano 6-5. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game that the away team has come away the victor.

Kiera Thomas was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

In other batting news, Kayla Ringenbach was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Mack Hardesty also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Puyallup kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in five consecutive games.

Puyallup's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Spanaway Lake, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.

Spanaway Lake might still be hurting after the 24-0 loss they got from Puyallup in their previous meeting back in May of 2016. Can the Sentinels avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.