Softball Game Preview: East Union Lancers vs. Pioneer Patriots

The East Union Lancers will challenge the Pioneer Patriots at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

East Union is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Yuba City 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lancers have posted since April 3rd.

Meanwhile, Pioneer came tearing into Friday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Beyer a 4-0 shutout.

The result came thanks to Jia Beebe's shutout, as she gave up just three hits.

On the hitting side, Marisa Bryson was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and one run. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Abril Parker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.

Pioneer hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in five consecutive games.

Pioneer pushed their record up to 22-5 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for East Union, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-13 record this season.

Everything went East Union's way against Pioneer in their previous meeting back in May of 2015, as East Union made off with a 17-3 victory. Will the Lancers repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.