Pearl hasn't had much luck against Petal recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Pearl has given up an average of 6.8 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Pearl's last matchup with Florence could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's match on Monday. The Pirates came up short against the Eagles, falling 13-4. The Pirates have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Pearl saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ainsley Roberts, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Petal duked it out with Meridian on Thursday. The Panthers put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 16-4 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Mallory Johnson spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up six Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Layla Brock, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February. Gracie Drinkwine was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Petal hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive contests.
Petal is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 15 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.1 runs over those games. As for Pearl, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-10.
Pearl suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Petal in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Pirates have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
