Softball Game Preview: Archbold Blue Streaks vs. Bryan Golden Bears

The Archbold Blue Streaks will face off against the Bryan Golden Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Archbold barely beat Patrick Henry the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Blue Streaks were the clear victors by a 14-1 margin over the Patriots on Monday. The Blue Streaks haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, Bryan had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They never let the Eagles get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Golden Bears, who have now won three matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.

Thea Staten was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Josey Arnold, who scored a run and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Amiyah Langham was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.

Bryan was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .310 or higher in five consecutive contests.

Bryan's victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Archbold, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

Archbold came up short against Bryan when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 3-0. Will the Blue Streaks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.