Softball Game Preview: New Palestine Dragons vs. Pendleton Heights Arabians

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Previous Games

05/22/24 - Neutral	9-0 W
05/09/24 - Home	5-1 W
05/25/23 - Neutral	3-5 L
05/11/23 - Away	11-2 W
05/12/22 - Home	8-5 W
+ 5 more games

New Palestine is 9-1 against Pendleton Heights since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Dragons will venture away from home to challenge the Arabians at 6:00 p.m. New Palestine's pitching crew has only allowed two runs per game this season, so Pendleton Heights' hitters will have their work cut out for them.

New Palestine is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Fishers, who was ranked 25th at the time (New Palestine was ranked first). The Dragons came up short against the Tigers on Wednesday, falling 10-4. The Dragons' defeat signaled the end of their 11-game winning streak.

Maddie Engle was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Payton Dye, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Greenfield-Central hit Pendleton Heights with a four-run seventh inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Arabians fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 4-3. The Arabians have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Grace Fisher made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubrey Fox, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

New Palestine suffered their first road loss, dropping their record down to 19-2. As for Pendleton Heights, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-12.

Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. New Palestine hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .361. However, it's not like Pendleton Heights struggles in that department as they've averaged .322. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Everything went New Palestine's way against Pendleton Heights in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as New Palestine made off with a 9-0 win. Will the Dragons repeat their success, or do the Arabians have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.