Softball Preview: Palmerton Blue Bombers vs. Pleasant Valley Bears
Palmerton is 4-0 against Pleasant Valley since May of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Palmerton Blue Bombers will head out on the road to square off against the Pleasant Valley Bears at 4:00 p.m. Palmerton is looking to tack on another W to their eight-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Last Friday, Palmerton got the win against Catasauqua by a conclusive 11-1.
CARLY GAFFNEY made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. GAFFNEY has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings every time she's pitched this season. GAFFNEY was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on HAILEY BARRY, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was MIKAYLA PENGELLY, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
After soaring to a 15-point victory in their last game, Pleasant Valley came back down to earth on Monday. They fell just short of Liberty by a score of 4-2. Having soared to a lofty 17 runs in the game before, Pleasant Valley couldn't push the score so high this time.
Kailyn Getz spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Samantha Ratti made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Palmerton's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Pleasant Valley, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Palmerton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pleasant Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Palmerton's way against Pleasant Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2019 as Palmerton made off with a 14-2 victory. Will Palmerton repeat their success, or does Pleasant Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
