On Friday, Providence faced Independence in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Providence Panthers put the hurt on the Independence Patriots with a sharp 10-1 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Panthers have posted against the Patriots since March 29, 2022.
Sophie Strugar made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Providence let Casey Tomljanovic and Ella Lamprey run wild. Tomljanovic went 2-for-3 with one home run and one double, while Lamprey went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That home run was Lamprey's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Camryn O'Connor, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Providence was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Independence only posted a batting average of .120.
Panthers
| 03/14/25 vs Independence | 10-1 |
| 03/12/25 vs South Mecklenburg | 15-4 |
| 03/04/25 vs Charlotte Catholic | 17-1 |
| 03/03/25 vs Porter Ridge | 23-12 |
| 02/26/25 vs Hickory Ridge | 3-2 |
| + 3 more games |
Providence pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.9 runs over those games. As for Independence, they moved to 5-2 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Providence will host Rocky River at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Providence's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last five contests. As for Independence, they will be playing at home against East Mecklenburg at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. East Mecklenburg has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.89 runs per game on average), something Independence will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
