Abilene Eagles (Abilene, TX) backers exited the stadium thrilled Thursday as they saw their softball squad nip the visiting Merkel Badgers (Merkel, TX), 7-1 in a non-league challenge.

The Eagles now own a 9-1 record. They take the field next when they host Graham for a non-league challenge on Friday, February 24. Abilene will face a Steers squad coming off a 11-5 non-league win over Rider (Wichita Falls, TX). The Steers record now stands at 1-0.

With the loss, Merkel falls to 2-1 on the campaign. The Badgers travel to Monahans (Monahans, TX) to face the Loboes in a non-league challenge on Saturday, February 25. The Loboes enter the challenge with a record of 4-4. Monahans won 7-4 in their recent non-league challenge against Cleburne (Cleburne, TX)