Softball Game Preview: Dunlap Eagles vs. Ottawa Pirates

The Dunlap Eagles are taking a road trip to take on the Ottawa Pirates at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Dunlap will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.

Dunlap's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Morton 9-0. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.

Not much got past Kaitlyn Atkinson, who gave up just five hits to keep Morton off the board. Atkinson has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

Claire Morris

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/24/25 @ Morton	2
04/15/25 vs East Peoria	1
04/12/25 @ Lincoln	1
04/05/25 @ Peoria Notre Dame	1
03/29/25 vs Crockett County	1

On the hitting side, Dunlap let Claire Morris and Gabby Drake run wild. Morris went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Drake went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those two RBI gave Morris a new career-high. Lexi Hamer also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Dunlap kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in nine consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Ottawa came up short against Sycamore on Wednesday and fell 6-3. The Pirates have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Dunlap's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Ottawa, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-4.

Dunlap couldn't quite get it done against Ottawa when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 3-0. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.