Softball Game Preview: Ooltewah Owls vs. Sale Creek Panthers

Ooltewah is a perfect 4-0 against Sale Creek since March of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Owls will be playing at home against the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Ooltewah is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.

Ooltewah barely beat Oak Ridge the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Owls were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Wildcats on Saturday. Considering the Owls have won 13 matches by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.

Jaeda Tucker made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.

Addilyn Watts

Hits (Career)

04/05/25 vs Oak Ridge	3
04/02/25 @ Signal Mountain	2
03/31/25 @ Notre Dame	2
03/27/25 vs Tyner Academy	2
03/26/25 @ Sale Creek	2

In other batting news, Addilyn Watts and Emmerson Reed did most of the damage at the plate: Watts scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Reed scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Those three hits gave Watts a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Katelyn Gelbaugh, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.

Ooltewah was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oak Ridge only posted a batting average of .167.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Sale Creek). They came out on top against Rockwood by a score of 11-6 on Friday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Panthers as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.

Ooltewah has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Sale Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.

Ooltewah took their win against Sale Creek when the teams last played last Wednesday by a conclusive 9-0 score. Will the Owls repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.