Softball Game Preview: Academy for Academic Excellence Knights vs. Big Bear Bears

For the second straight game, Academy for Academic Excellence will face off against Big Bear. The Knights are taking a road trip to challenge the Bears at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Academy for Academic Excellence will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.

Academy for Academic Excellence is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Big Bear 20-10 on Tuesday. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

Haylee Berg made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Berg was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one triple.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hayden Gonzales, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February. Siena Whiting was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.

Academy for Academic Excellence kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 16 hits in three consecutive games.

The win got Academy for Academic Excellence back to even at 6-6-1. As for Big Bear, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-4.

Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Academy for Academic Excellence hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .404. However, it's not like Big Bear struggles in that department as they've averaged .363. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.