Softball Game Preview: Bartram Trail Bears vs. Middleburg Broncos

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Previous Games

04/25/24 - Home	0-9 L
04/20/23 - Away	2-1 W
04/05/22 - Home	0-3 L
04/15/21 - Neutral	5-4 W
05/08/19 - Home	2-3 L
+ 5 more games

Bartram Trail and Middleburg are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Bears will venture away from home to challenge the Broncos at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Bartram Trail's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matchups, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Bartram Trail fell victim to Keystone Heights and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Indians by a score of 1-0. Considering the last time the Bears couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.

Meanwhile, Middleburg got the win against Ponte Vedra on Thursday by a conclusive 9-3. Considering the Broncos have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Cloey Ballinger made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over 5.1 innings pitched. Ballinger was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Izzy Pifer, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Emma Ward, who went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.

Middleburg hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive matches.

Middleburg is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. As for Bartram Trail, their loss dropped their record down to 14-9.

Bartram Trail suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Middleburg in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.