Softball Game Preview: Sandy Pioneers vs. Nelson

The Sandy Pioneers will challenge Nelson at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Sandy's pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Nelson's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Sandy's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Gresham hitters got past them. The Pioneers lost 10-0 to the Gophers on Wednesday. The Pioneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Nelson entered their tilt with Barlow on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Bruins 5-3. That's two games straight that Nelson has won by exactly two runs.

Bailey Hill made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed seven innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Hill was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.

Hill wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Abigail Huspek, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

Nelson's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-9. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Sandy, their loss dropped their record down to 12-6.

Sandy beat Nelson 6-1 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Pioneers have another victory up their sleeve, or will Nelson turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.