Softball Game Preview: Lakeview Bulldogs vs. Howland Tigers

Lakeview is 8-1 against Howland since April of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Bulldogs will challenge the Tigers at 5:00 p.m. Howland took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Lakeview, who comes in off a win.

Lakeview barely beat Poland Seminary the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Lakeview put the hurt on Poland Seminary with a sharp 14-6 victory on Thursday. Considering Lakeview has won seven matchups by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Ava Bacon spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up six Ks.

Kennedy Bartlett

Stolen Base (Career)

05/15/25 @ Poland Seminary	2
04/28/25 vs McKinley	1
04/28/25 vs McKinley	1
04/24/25 vs Champion	1
04/12/25 vs St. Joseph Academy	1

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kennedy Bartlett, who fired off two triples, two stolen bases, and three runs while going 4-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Kalyssa Werner was another key player, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with five runs and one RBI.

Lakeview was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .382. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .344 or higher in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Howland fell victim to Canfield and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cardinals. The contest marked the first time this year in which the Tigers were not able to get on the board.

Lakeview has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Howland, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9.

Everything went Lakeview's way against Howland in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Lakeview made off with a 17-7 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.