Softball Game Preview: Shade Panthers vs. Blacklick Valley Vikings

Shade has gone 8-1 against Blacklick Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Vikings at 4:15 p.m. Shade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.

Shade's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Turkeyfoot Valley Area with a sharp 10-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.

Payton Maddy made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.

Tori Bowers

Hits

04/09/25 vs Turkeyfoot Valley Area	3
04/03/25 @ Ferndale	0
04/01/25 vs Rockwood	1
03/24/25 @ Forbes Road	1
03/24/25 @ Forbes Road	1
+ 8 more games

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tori Bowers, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. Jaedyn Krupper was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.

Shade kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, Blacklick Valley fell victim to Meyersdale and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They lost 16-0 to the Red Raiders. The Vikings' defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it six in a row.

The win was their first at home , bumping their record up to 4-2. As for Blacklick Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.

Shade took their victory against Blacklick Valley in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 17-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.