Softball Game Preview: Le Grand Bulldogs vs. Waterford Wildcats

Le Grand is 8-2 against Waterford since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Bulldogs will look to defend their home field against the Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Le Grand has nine straight victories, Waterford has 30 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Le Grand's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Denair as they made off with a 17-0 win. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by eight runs or more this season.

Ava Avila made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.

Aaliyah Ceja

Stolen Base

04/11/25 vs Denair	2
04/09/25 @ Modesto Christian	1
04/07/25 vs Stone Ridge Christian	3

In other batting news, Crystal Manzo and Aaliyah Ceja did most of the damage at the plate: Manzo went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs, and one stolen base, while Ceja scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Ceja is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Karly Reyes was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.

Le Grand was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .692. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Meanwhile, Waterford didn't have quite enough to beat Delhi on Friday and fell 8-7.

Le Grand pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.3 runs over those games. As for Waterford, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-11.

Le Grand took their victory against Waterford in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 20-0 score. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.