Softball Game Preview: Shamokin Area Indians vs. Sugar Valley Rural Phoenix

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Previous 3 Games

05/14/24 - Home	15-0 W
05/16/23 - Away	18-3 W
05/14/19 - Home	19-0 W

Shamokin Area has gone a perfect 3-0 against Sugar Valley Rural recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Indians will head out on the road to take on the Phoenix at 4:30 p.m. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Shamokin Area and six for Sugar Valley Rural.

Schuylkill Haven hit Shamokin Area with a four-run fifth inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Indians lost 9-3 to the Hurricanes.

AUTUMN KEHLER was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. KEHLER was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.

KEHLER wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was AVA HUGHES, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Sugar Valley Rural's offense. They came up short against Montgomery last Thursday, falling 18-0. That's two games in a row now that the Phoenix have lost by exactly 18 runs.

Sugar Valley Rural's defeat dropped their record down to 1-8. As for Shamokin Area, their loss dropped their record down to 5-11.

Sugar Valley Rural's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Shamokin Area hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. It's a different story for Sugar Valley Rural, though, as they've only averaged .243. Will they be able to contain Shamokin Area's hitters?

Everything went Shamokin Area's way against Sugar Valley Rural in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Shamokin Area made off with a 15-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.