Softball Game Preview: Utica Ford Falcons vs. Dakota Cougars

Utica Ford is 1-9 against Dakota since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Falcons are taking a road trip to challenge the Cougars at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Utica Ford will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Romeo, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Falcons' pitchers stepped up to hand the Bulldogs an 8-0 shutout on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Meanwhile, Dakota got the win against Utica Eisenhower on Wednesday by a conclusive 11-0.

The result came thanks to Brooke Cahill's shutout, as she gave up just four hits.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Katie Rusher, who fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 3-for-4. Kiley Phelan was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Dakota pushed their record up to 11-2 with the victory, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 8.8 runs this season. As for Utica Ford, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.

Utica Ford came up short against Dakota in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 3-0. Can the Falcons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.