The Van Vleck Leopards will head out to challenge the Brazos Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
If Van Vleck beats Brazos with 20 runs on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Leopards put the hurt on Hitchcock with a sharp 20-1 victory on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Leopards, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Lakyn Matchett
| 04/08/25 @ Hitchcock | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Boling | 2 |
| 03/31/25 @ East Bernard | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Brazos | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Hitchcock | 2 |
Lakyn Matchett made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kylie Sazera, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Kamryn Waller, who went 1-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Van Vleck kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hitchcock only managed two hits.
Meanwhile, Brazos got the win against Boling on Tuesday by a conclusive 11-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Ava Aguilar spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on four hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Sophia Duran was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Jade Ashton also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Van Vleck has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-4-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Brazos, their record is now 8-15-1.
Brazos' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Van Vleck hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. It's a different story for Brazos, though, as they've only averaged .244. Will they be able to contain Van Vleck's hitters?
Everything went Van Vleck's way against Brazos in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Van Vleck made off with a 7-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Leopards since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
