Softball Game Preview: Norwalk Lancers vs. Bellflower Buccaneers

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Previous Games

04/23/24 - Away	13-3 W
03/28/24 - Home	9-0 W
04/20/23 - Home	8-4 W
03/28/23 - Away	13-7 W
04/28/22 - Away	2-0 W
+ 5 more games

Norwalk is a perfect 10-0 against Bellflower since May of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Lancers will welcome the Buccaneers at 3:15 p.m. Norwalk has given up an average of 8.5 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Tuesday just wasn't the day for Norwalk's offense. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (19-0), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. Having soared to a lofty 19 runs in the game before, their shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Norwalk saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jezrael Acosta, who went 1-for-2 with one double.

The home team had won the previous four meetings between Bellflower and Firebaugh, and Firebaugh kept the tradition alive. The Buccaneers fell just short of the Falcons by a score of 11-10 on Tuesday. Even though they lost, the Buccaneers' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.2 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Crystal Menchaca put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up three earned (and eight unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-6.

In other batting news, Laylonei Flores was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5. Amanda Llanos was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

Norwalk's loss dropped their record down to 4-9-1. As for Bellflower, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-10.

Everything went Norwalk's way against Bellflower in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Norwalk made off with a 13-3 victory. Will the Lancers repeat their success, or do the Buccaneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.