Softball Game Preview: Roxana Shells vs. Marquette Catholic Explorers

The Roxana Shells will face off against the Marquette Catholic Explorers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Roxana comes in still looking for their first win of the season.

Roxana fell victim to East Alton-Wood River and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Oilers, falling 13-0.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Marquette Catholic). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Althoff Catholic a 19-0 shutout on Tuesday. The win continues a trend for the Explorers in their matchups with the Crusaders: they've now won eight in a row.

Kenna Lievers and Kennedy Eveans were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Lievers pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Eveans pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Lievers has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Lievers went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Eveans scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Eveans also hit a double, marking her first of the season.

In other batting news, Marquette Catholic let Alyssa Coles and Jayla Dickson run wild. Coles scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Dickson went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Coles is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Lucy LaFiore, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Marquette Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Althoff Catholic only posted a batting average of .077.

Marquette Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Roxana, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.

Everything went Roxana's way against Marquette Catholic in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as Roxana made off with a 16-1 win. Do the Shells have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Explorers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.