Softball Preview: Bluefield Beavers vs. Midland Trail Patriots
The Bluefield Beavers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Midland Trail Patriots at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bluefield is headed into the contest fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Summers County a 21-0 shutout on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded Bluefield with their most commanding win of the season.
Isabella Smith made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Smith has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 14 consecutive pitching appearances. Smith was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Taylor Mabry was a standout: she went 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. Grace Richardson was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Midland Trail made easy work of PikeView on Wednesday and carried off a 17-0 win.
Like Bluefield, Midland Trail also got a great game from a two-way player: Madison Rader. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Rader was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Raygen Parsons, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI. Another player making a difference was Nevaeh Hall, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and a stolen base.
Bluefield's victory bumped their record up to 11-5. As for Midland Trail, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Bluefield has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .467. However, it's not like Midland Trail struggles in that department as they've averaged .500. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
