Softball Game Preview: Bartow Yellow Jackets vs. Durant Cougars

The Bartow Yellow Jackets will face off against the Durant Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Bartow is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Lake Howell as they made off with a 13-4 win. The victory was nothing new for the Yellow Jackets as they're now sitting on eight straight.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Durant took on Dwyer on Thursday. The Cougars put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 13-1 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Cougars considering their two-run performance the contest before.

Madyson Lauer tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Durant got a massive performance out of Giana Lopez, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those four RBI gave Lopez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Chancey, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.

Bartow's record is now 25-3. As for Durant, their record now sits at 16-8.

Bartow couldn't quite finish off Durant in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 and fell 4-2. Can the Yellow Jackets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.