Softball Game Preview: Glide Wildcats vs. South Umpqua Lancers

Glide hasn't had much luck against South Umpqua recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wildcats are taking a road trip to square off against the Lancers. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Glide sitting on six straight victories and South Umpqua on 15.

Glide can't be too worried about heading out to take on South Umpqua: they just beat Willamina at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 10-4 margin over the Bulldogs on Wednesday. Considering the Wildcats have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Ella Weber spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on one hit and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Samantha Moyers, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Peyton Geiger was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Meanwhile, South Umpqua made easy work of North Valley on Wednesday and carried off a 15-5 win. The Lancers are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the 17th contest they've won by 6+ runs this season.

South Umpqua pushed their record up to 20-4 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.9 runs over those games. As for Glide, their record now sits at 17-7.

Glide couldn't quite finish off South Umpqua in their previous matchup on May 9th and fell 7-5. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.