Softball Game Preview: Hylton Bulldogs vs. Massaponax Panthers

The Hylton Bulldogs will head out to face off against the Massaponax Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hylton has three straight wins, Massaponax has 15 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Tuesday, Hylton got the win against Freedom by a conclusive 17-3. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won eight contests by seven runs or more so far this season.

Alanis Layne made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Alexandra Newton

Doubles (Career)

04/29/25 vs Freedom	2
04/10/25 vs Forest Park	1
04/08/25 @ Woodbridge	1
03/28/25 @ Freedom	1
03/17/25 @ Gainesville	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alexandra Newton, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and five RBI. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Jordyn Bullock, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.

Hylton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matches.

The home team had come away the winner the last four times Massaponax and Colonial Forge had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Panthers lost 13-1 to the Eagles on Tuesday.

Hylton pushed their record up to 10-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Massaponax, their loss dropped their record down to 0-14.