Softball Game Preview: Mathews Mustangs vs. Struthers Wildcats

The Mathews Mustangs will challenge the Struthers Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mathews will be strutting in after a victory while Struthers will be coming in after a loss.

On Wednesday, Mathews had just enough and edged out Cardinal 12-10. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mustangs.

Meanwhile, Struthers was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost an 8-7 heartbreaker at the hands of McKinley.

Emily McDowell was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (two). She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with six stolen bases and two runs.

In other batting news, Gabriella McDowell made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases and one run. Another player making a difference was Hannah Susany, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Mathews' win bumped their record up to 6-8. As for Struthers, their loss dropped their record down to 2-12.

Mathews beat Struthers 8-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2021. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.