The Defiance Bulldogs will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Paulding Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Paulding took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Defiance, who comes in off a win.
Defiance is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Thursday, just like they did against Shawnee (and have done all season long). Everything went Defiance's way against Shawnee on Wednesday as Defiance made off with an 11-1 win.
Taighen Zipfel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in 14 consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Bella Gutierrez was a standout: she scored two runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. Eliza Ramirez was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 11 runs the game before, Paulding was a bit more limited in their game on Wednesday. They lost 8-2 to Tinora. Paulding has not had much luck with Tinora recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Maci Kauser was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Defiance has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season. As for Paulding, their loss dropped their record down to 12-5.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Defiance hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .365. However, it's not like Paulding struggles in that department as they've averaged .373. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Defiance came out on top in a nail-biter against Paulding when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Defiance since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
