Softball Game Preview: Civic Memorial Eagles vs. Marquette Catholic Explorers

The Civic Memorial Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Marquette Catholic Explorers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Civic Memorial's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They walked away with a 4-0 win over Triad. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.

Meanwhile, Marquette Catholic entered their tilt with Hillsboro on Thursday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Hiltoppers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Explorers have posted against the Hiltoppers since April 22, 2015.

Kenna Lievers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Bella Johnson was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Jayla Dickson, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Marquette Catholic's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-14. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Civic Memorial, their win bumped their record up to 14-9.

Civic Memorial took their victory against Marquette Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 13-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.