A feisty cat fight will be fought as Ennis Lions take on Midlothian Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Ennis took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They never let Crandall get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won five in a row.
Breona Benavidez
| 04/01/25 vs Crandall | 8 |
| 03/28/25 @ Kaufman | 5 |
| 03/25/25 vs Corsicana | 11 |
| 03/21/25 vs Midlothian Heritage | 7 |
| 03/18/25 @ Red Oak | 5 |
Breona Benavidez made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Kaycee Slovak was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Aley Nichols, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Ennis kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Midlothian got the win against Kaufman on Tuesday by a conclusive 11-1.
Paige Insley tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aniyah Givens, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Madison Howard was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Midlothian is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Ennis, their victory bumped their record up to 15-7.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Ennis hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like Midlothian struggles in that department as they've averaged .355. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Ennis suffered a grim 8-0 defeat to Midlothian when the teams last played back in March. Will the Lions have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
