Softball Game Preview: Polytech Panthers vs. Middletown Cavaliers

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Previous 3 Games

04/14/25 - Away	7-4 W
04/27/24 - Home	5-0 W
04/17/23 - Away	3-1 W

Polytech is a perfect 3-0 against Middletown since April of 2023 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Panthers will square off against the Cavaliers at 4:00 p.m. Polytech will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Polytech is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Delaware's top teams: Smyrna, who was ranked 16th at the time (Polytech was ranked ninth). The Panthers came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 7-2 on Thursday.

Madison Frazier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on one hit.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Emma Shelton, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. She also put up a stolen base, which was her first of the season. Danica Humphries was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs and two doubles.

Polytech was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .323 or higher in four consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Middletown). Everything went their way against Newark Charter School on Tuesday as they made off with a 17-6 victory. The Cavaliers haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

Polytech pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Middletown, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.

Polytech was able to grind out a solid win over Middletown in their previous meeting last Monday, winning 7-4. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Cavaliers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.