Porter Ridge is on a eight-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Independence is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Porter Ridge Pirates will take on the Independence Patriots at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Porter Ridge's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Cuthbertson as Porter Ridge made off with an 11-0 win. That's two games straight that Porter Ridge has won by exactly 11 runs.
Natalya Salo was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Salo has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in nine consecutive pitching appearances. Salo was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Hayden Stamey and CJ Moore did most of the damage at the plate: Stamey scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Moore scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Braelyn Bevington, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Independence won against Providence on Tuesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. Independence put the hurt on East Mecklenburg with a sharp 10-0 victory.
Like Porter Ridge, Independence also got a great game from a two-way player: Maliyah Alexander. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Alexander was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sydnee Platt, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Kimber Mulkey was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
Porter Ridge's win bumped their record up to 12-2. As for Independence, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4-1 record this season.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Porter Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .372. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've averaged .329. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Porter Ridge came up short against Independence when the teams last played back in March of 2023, falling 9-4. Will Porter Ridge have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
