Softball Game Preview: Rowlett Eagles vs. Garland Owls

It'll be a Battle of the Birds when Rowlett Eagles duke it out with Garland Owls at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Rowlett is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.

Rowlett saw some tournament action on Saturday. They lost 11-2 to Plano East.

Rowlett saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Baylee Grant, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Julissa Casta?eda was another, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one double.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Garland). They never let Naaman Forest get on the board and left with a 19-0 victory on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.

Natalie Arent was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.

In other batting news, Melody Alarcon was incredible, firing off two home runs, three stolen bases, and four runs while going 3-for-3. Those home runs were her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Payton Dean, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.

Garland has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. Rowlett's loss dropped their record down to 6-8-1.

Rowlett took their victory against Garland in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-4. Will Rowlett repeat their success, or does Garland have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.