The Crestview Knights will head out to challenge the Paulding Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Paulding took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Crestview, who comes in off a win.
Crestview was handed a six-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Jefferson 5-3. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Knights as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Emily Heth spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on eight hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kylie Williams, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Kaci Gregory, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Paulding duked it out with Van Wert on Monday. The Panthers fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 9-7. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by exactly two runs.
Mariah Klopfenstein made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That home run was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Civil Pumphrey, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
This is the second loss in a row for Paulding and nudges their season record down to 10-5. Even worse, they were so close both times: the losses came by an average of only two runs. As for Crestview, their victory bumped their record up to 6-12.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Crestview hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. However, it's not like Paulding struggles in that department as they've averaged .385. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Crestview beat Paulding 9-5 in their previous matchup back in May of 2021. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
