Softball Recap: Stafford Comes Up Short

Stafford had lost four straight at home, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 7-9 to make it five. They fell just short of the Riverbend Bears by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Indians have suffered since April 14th.

Angela Dreistadt spent all 11 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered six earned runs on 15 hits and racked up ten Ks.

On the hitting side, Emily Stone made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Another player making a difference was Claire Hall, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

As for Riverbend, the victory (which was their 15th in a row) raised their record to 17-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games.

On Riverbend's side, they also let their pitcher toss all 11 innings and she was also dialed-in: Chloe King gave up five earned runs on nine hits and racked up 20 Ks. King has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Maddie Baugh and Isa Barber did most of the damage at the plate: Baugh got on base in four of her six plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Barber got on base in four of her six plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those three RBI gave Baugh a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Norah Clark, who went 2-for-6 with two runs and one stolen base.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Stafford will welcome Massaponax at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The Indians are facing the Panthers at the right time seeing as the Panthers are stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Riverbend, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Brooke Point at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.