The North Platte Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the South Harrison Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. North Platte's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so South Harrison's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
North Platte came into this matchup off a tough ten-run defeat on Monday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of West Platte by a score of 5-3 on Thursday. The Panthers' loss continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Kate Wolf was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, North Platte saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Savannah Crook, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, South Harrison got themselves on the board against Polo on Thursday, but Polo never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 15-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won six games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Rory Fitzgerald was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in September of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Lexi Hunter was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four runs, two doubles, and one triple. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Bailey Barnett was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and three runs.
South Harrison was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Polo only posted a batting average of .091.
South Harrison has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for North Platte, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Platte has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Harrison struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
