Softball Game Preview: Melbourne Bulldogs vs. Centennial Eagles

Melbourne has gone a perfect 3-0 against Centennial recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. Melbourne will host Centennial at 7:00 p.m. Melbourne is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.

Melbourne managed to slip by Spruce Creek the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. Melbourne came up short against Spruce Creek on Friday, falling 14-5.

Layna Ayala

Home Runs

03/28/25 @ Spruce Creek	1
03/24/25 @ Heritage	1
03/11/25 @ Viera	1
03/10/25 vs Melbourne Central Catholic	1
03/07/25 @ Oviedo	1
03/05/25 @ Palm Bay	2

Layna Ayala made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run. She has been hot, having posted at least one home run the last six times she's played. Another player making a difference was Hailey Cottrill, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Centennial posted their closest win since April 24, 2024 on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over St. Cloud.

Hailey Brereton made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Brereton was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.

Brereton wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Autumn Prakash, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

Centennial has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. Melbourne's loss dropped their record down to 6-6.

Melbourne beat Centennial 3-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will Melbourne repeat their success, or does Centennial has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.