Softball Recap: Oakwood Find Success

Oakwood posted their closest victory since April 29, 2024 on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-8 win over the Hoopeston Cornjerkers. For the Comets, this counts as revenge for the 7-5 victory the Cornjerkers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in April of 2024.

Irene Rangel made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Rangel was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three RBI.

In other batting news, Bella Bradford and Emberlyn Schull did most of the damage at the plate: Bradford went a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple, while Schull got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Those two stolen bases gave Schull a new career-high. Lainee Smith was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Oakwood has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-7-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Hoopeston, they dropped their record down to 4-7 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road.

Looking ahead, Oakwood will take on Covington at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Trojans have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 7.13 runs per game on average), something the Comets will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Hoopeston, they will host Milford at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Cornjerkers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Bearcats have averaged an impressive 9 runs per game this season.