Southeastern will head out on the road to face off against Clay at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Southeastern has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Clay will arrive with five straight victories.
On Monday, Southeastern didn't have quite enough to beat Huntington and fell 8-7.
Dylan Skaggs made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Clay faced off against Green on Monday. The Panthers never let the Bobcats get on the board and left with a 16-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won ten matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Elin Shaw made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles.
In other batting news, Laney Shepherd and Sarah Cassidy did most of the damage at the plate: Shepherd went 2-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI, while Cassidy went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Those three runs gave Shepherd a new career-high. Madison Carver was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Clay's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-6. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Southeastern, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Southeastern has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
