Softball Preview: Bradford Tornadoes vs. Hilliard Red Flashes
The Bradford Tornadoes are on the road again on Thursday to play the Hilliard Red Flashes at 6:30 p.m.
Last Monday, it was a hard-fought match, but Bradford had to settle for a 5-4 defeat against Union County.
Rylie Blankenship was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Blankenship was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a triple and a run.
In other batting news, Addyson Hinds made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Hilliard can now show off three landslide victories after their most recent contest on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Andrew Jackson with a sharp 11-1 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Hilliard.
Like Bradford, Hilliard also got a great game from a two-way player: Brooke Sparkman. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits over six innings pitched. Sparkman has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Sparkman was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
In other batting news, Peighton Self and Avery Vennard did most of the damage at the plate: Self went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Vennard scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Neveah Brown was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Bradford dropped their record down to 3-10 with that loss, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Hilliard, their victory bumped their record up to 6-4.
Bradford might still be hurting after the 11-2 defeat they got from Hilliard in their previous matchup back in February. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Sparkman, who pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Now that Bradford knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
