Softball Game Preview: Suwannee Bulldogs vs. Gainesville Hurricanes

The Suwannee Bulldogs will square off against the Gainesville Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Suwannee's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matchups, but Friday's contest will give them a chance to turn things around.

Suwannee was handed a 15-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Madison County, sneaking past 2-1. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Bulldogs as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, Gainesville came tearing into Wednesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Wildcats a 10-0 shutout. The matchup marked the Hurricanes' most dominant victory of the season so far.

McKenna O'Sullivan made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and seven RBI while going 3-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Emma Barton and Braylin Cook did most of the damage at the plate: Barton went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two runs, while Cook went 2-for-4 with one home run and one stolen base. That's the most hits Barton has posted since back in March of 2024. Madisyn Gillins was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.

Gainesville hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in six consecutive contests.

Gainesville pushed their record up to 6-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Suwannee, their win bumped their record up to 6-7.

Suwannee was able to grind out a solid victory over Gainesville when the teams last played back in February, winning 5-2. Will Suwannee repeat their success, or does Gainesville has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.