Softball Game Preview: Vanlue Wildcats vs. Buckeye Central Bucks

The Vanlue Wildcats are taking a road trip to square off against the Buckeye Central Bucks at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with ten losses in a row, Vanlue turned things around against Pandora-Gilboa on Wednesday. They walked away with an 11-8 win over the Rockets. The Wildcats' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Madison Brooks made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, earning two runs and one stolen base. Those two runs gave her a new career-high.

Riley Smith

Hits (Career)

04/30/25 @ Pandora-Gilboa	4
04/03/24 @ McComb	3
04/23/25 vs Riverdale	2
04/07/25 vs Ada	2
04/21/25 @ McComb	1

In other batting news, Riley Smith was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrienne Phillips, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Buckeye Central had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against the Tigers.

Buckeye Central pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.75 runs across that stretch. As for Vanlue, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-6 and their overall record up to 2-12.