Softball Preview: Prairie View Thunderhawks vs. Brighton Bulldogs
Prairie View is 0-10 against Brighton since October of 2015 but things could change on Tuesday. The Prairie View Thunderhawks are on the road again to play the Brighton Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Prairie View is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.5 runs per game this season.
Prairie View lost 22-13 to Boulder on Saturday.
Shelby Ortiz was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Sanford, who went 2-for-5 with five RBI.
Meanwhile, Brighton had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. Everything went their way against the Norsemen as they made off with a 7-1 win. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by six runs or more this season.
Brooke Johnson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Ava Araujo was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Angelica Gallegos, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4.
Brighton didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now tossed at least 12 strikeouts in three consecutive matches.
Prairie View now has a losing record at 7-8. As for Brighton, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Prairie View has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Brighton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Prairie View might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Brighton in their previous matchup back in August of 2023. Can Prairie View avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
