The Zane Trace Pioneers will head out to face off against the Ironton Fighting Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Zane Trace easily dispatched Paint Valley last Saturday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Pioneers fell just short of Unioto by a score of 4-2 on Friday. The defeat continues a trend for the Pioneers in their meetings with the Shermans: they've now lost four in a row.
Brynn Wipert put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off ten hits. What's more, she gave up only zero walks, the fewest she's had since back in April. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Wipert wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Maddison Will, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Ironton never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Alexander on Tuesday. They blew past the Spartans 11-4. The result was nothing new for the Fighting Tigers, who have now won 12 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Like Zane Trace, Ironton also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Bihl. On the mound, she struck out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts Bihl has posted since back in April. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Ironton got a big performance out of Jenna Compliment, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Aubry Shavers was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Ironton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive games.
Zane Trace's loss dropped their record down to 8-16. As for Ironton, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Zane Trace has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ironton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
