Softball Game Preview: Comfort Bobcats/Deer vs. Blanco Panthers

Comfort hasn't had much luck against Blanco recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Bobcats/Deer will square off against the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Monday, Comfort earned a 7-4 victory over Brady. The win continues a trend for the Bobcats/Deer in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won three in a row.

Ella Thiele made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Thiele was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, Moorea Davis was incredible, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Kaydence Stehling was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Comfort kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are 5-1 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, Blanco had already won 17 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it 18 on Friday. They put the hurt on the Buffaloes with a sharp 18-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 13 games by eight runs or more so far this season.

Blanco pushed their record up to 21-2 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Comfort, their record is now 6-18.

Comfort suffered a grim 15-1 defeat to Blanco in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Bobcats/Deer avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.