Softball Preview: Needles Mustangs vs. Yerington Lions
The Needles Mustangs will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Yerington Lions at 4:00 p.m. One thing working in Needles' favor is that they have posted big run totals in their last seven matchups.
Needles is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand White Pine a 15-0 shutout. Needles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 21 contests by six runs or more this season.
Jaelyn Garcia was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Garcia has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 20 consecutive pitching appearances. Garcia was also big at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Emmerson Powell was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Peyton Jackson was another key contributor, scoring four runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last three games, Yerington finally came back down to earth on Saturday. They lost 11-1 to Pershing County. Yerington has struggled against Pershing County recently, as their match on Saturday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Yerington saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Amaree Savage, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and a double.
Needles' win bumped their record up to 25-4. As for Yerington, their loss dropped their record down to 19-8.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Needles has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .520. However, it's not like Yerington struggles in that department as they've averaged .568. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Needles' way against Yerington when the teams last played back in May of 2022 as Needles made off with a 10-0 victory. Will Needles repeat their success, or does Yerington have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
