Softball Game Preview: Pee Dee Academy Golden Eagles vs. South Florence Bruins

The Pee Dee Academy Golden Eagles will venture away from home to square off against the South Florence Bruins at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. South Florence took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Pee Dee Academy, who comes in off a win.

South Florence will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Pee Dee Academy extended their winning streak to three on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles put the hurt on Laurence Manning Academy with a sharp 7-1 victory.

Meanwhile, South Florence entered their match against Hartsville on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Bruins fell just short of the Red Foxes by a score of 9-7. The Bruins have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Payton Perry was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and four unearned) runs off ten hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.

In other batting news, Page White was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Riley Owens, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.

Pee Dee Academy's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for South Florence, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 8-1 and their overall record down to 14-4.

Pee Dee Academy was able to grind out a solid win over South Florence in their previous matchup back in March of 2022, winning 5-1. Will the Golden Eagles repeat their success, or do the Bruins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.