Softball Game Preview: Covington Lions vs. Northshore Panthers

Covington hasn't had much luck against Northshore recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Lions will look to defend their home field against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Northshore took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Covington, who comes in off a win.

Covington made up a huge gap compared to their last game against St. Scholastica, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Lions' pitcher stepped up to hand the Doves an 8-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 games by seven runs or more this season.

Not much got past Megan Wicker, who gave up just five hits and racked up six Ks to keep St. Scholastica off the board. Wicker has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Emily Keating was excellent, going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Those RBI were her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Catelyn Yeager, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Northshore fell victim to French Settlement and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They lost 6-0 to the Lions. The match marked the first time this season in which the Panthers were not able to get on the board.

Covington's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Northshore, their loss dropped their record down to 15-14.

Covington was able to grind out a solid victory over Northshore when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 6-3. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.