Princeton is 0-10 against Oak Hills since April of 2021 but things could change on Thursday. The Vikings will take on the Highlanders at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Princeton turned things around against Colerain on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 17-4 margin over the Cardinals. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Vikings considering their one-run performance the game before.
Alissa Pates made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Pates was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Princeton got a massive performance out of Kennedi LeGree, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, five RBI, and one run. That's the most stolen bases LeGree has posted since back in April. Kimora Carpenter also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Princeton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Oak Hills never let their opponents score on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Middletown as they made off with a 13-0 win. The Highlanders haven't had any issues with the Middies recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Not much got past Payton Veneman, who gave up just a hit and racked up ten Ks to keep Middletown off the board. Veneman has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kelsie Schuehler was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Emily Lacock, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
Princeton's record now sits at 10-12. As for Oak Hills, their record is now 16-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Princeton hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Oak Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
