Softball Preview: Air Academy Kadets vs. Lutheran Lions
Air Academy has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will venture away from home to take on the Lutheran Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Friday, Air Academy came up short against Widefield and fell 16-11.
Kylen Tucker made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Keira Finkle, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Even though they lost, Air Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. The last time their batting average was this high was back in August.
Meanwhile, Lutheran had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 17-2 margin over the Rangers. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine contests by six runs or more this season.
Lutheran let Kiley Glenn and Meredith Barnhart loose on the outfield. Glenn got on base in all three of her plate appearances with a home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Barnhart went 3-for-4 with a home run, four runs, and two RBI. With that strong performance, Barnhart is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Leah Cates, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Air Academy has been struggling recently as they've lost ten of their last 11 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-13 record this season. As for Lutheran, their victory was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Air Academy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.2. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Air Academy might still be hurting after the 17-3 loss they got from Lutheran when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Can Air Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
