(Atlantic) The Atlantic Softball team hosts Red Oak in a Regional Quarterfinal tonight. The Trojans (26-12) enter the contest riding an eight-game winning streak. Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann says the team is playing well at the right time of year.
The Trojans have been hitting around the .340 mark consistently throughout the year. Hinzmann says the team’s top hitters have been putting together a string of hits lately. Lila Wiederstein is batting .589, Zoey Kirchhoff, .426. and Riley Wood, .409.
Hinzmann says the real key is that the hitters from the middle to the bottom of the order are getting on base for the top of the order. For instance, Peyton McLaren is batting at .352, Jillian Saathoff is at .310, and Claire Pellett is at .317. Hinzmann says the RBI totals have risen considerably over the past two weeks.
Coach Hinzmann says the entire team has worked hard preparing for this moment.
The Tigers are hitting .259 as a team, led by Tori Wendt, who is batting .393, Jaydin Lindsay, who is batting .390, and Kaysie Kells, who is batting .290.
The Trojans enter the contest with 44 errors in 37 games. Red Oak committed 66 errors in 26 games. Tigers pitcher Josie McCunn enters the competition with an ERA of 11.68 in 106.2 innings of work. Atlantic has sent three pitchers to the circle throughout the season. Riley Wood has logged the majority of the innings. The senior has an ERA of 3.64, with 104 strikeouts and 35 walks. Freshman Peyton McLaren has pitched in 48 innings with 33 strikeouts and 13 walks. Zoey Kirchhoff has thrown 45 innings with an ERA of 4.60 with 24 strikeouts and 14 walks.
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. in Atlantic. We will broadcast it on 95.7 F.M. The pregame show starts at 6:40 p.m.
