Softball Game Preview: McLean Highlanders vs. Charles J. Colgan Sharks

The McLean Highlanders will head out on the road to challenge the Charles J. Colgan Sharks at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Charles J. Colgan will be up against a hot McLean squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Highlanders were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over Herndon on Friday.

Meanwhile, Charles J. Colgan got themselves on the board against Freedom on Friday, but Freedom never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 12-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Sharks in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won nine in a row.

Kayla Boatwright made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with three RBI and one run.

In other batting news, Julia Shepard was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Caroline Jurack was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Charles J. Colgan was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .625. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .400 or higher in three consecutive games.

Charles J. Colgan's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-3. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.6 runs on average over those games. As for McLean, their record is now 16-1.

McLean took their victory against Charles J. Colgan when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Highlanders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.