Softball Preview: West Lafayette Red Devils vs. Western Panthers
West Lafayette is 1-7 against Western since May of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The West Lafayette Red Devils are on the road again to play the Western Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
West Lafayette is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Northwestern onto the board and left with a 10-0 win.
Izzy Ascarelli made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Ascarelli has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Ascarelli was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, Adrianne Tolen was incredible, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Dani Rawles was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Western entered their tilt with North Montgomery with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They put the hurt on the Chargin' Chargers with a sharp 13-1 victory on Tuesday.
North Montgomery's batters probably weren't too happy with Kylie Miller, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 14 Ks (she gave up two walks).
On the hitting side, Jocelyn Jeffers was incredible, firing off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Linn, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
West Lafayette's win bumped their record up to 16-8. As for Western, their victory bumped their record up to 24-2.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. West Lafayette has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .447. However, it's not like Western struggles in that department as they've averaged .475. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Lafayette came up short against Western in their previous meeting two weeks ago, falling 3-0. Can West Lafayette 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
