Softball Game Preview: St. James Wildcats vs. Parkview Baptist Eagles

The St. James Wildcats will venture away from home to challenge the Parkview Baptist Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. St. James has given up an average of 12.1 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

It was a proper cat-fight when St. James duked it out with Thibodaux on Thursday. The Wildcats lost 23-3 to the Tigers. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

St. James saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jai Bright, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Parkview Baptist got the win against Denham Springs on Friday by a conclusive 13-1. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matches by seven runs or more this season.

Jalayah Slaughter tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Aimee Gawlik was a standout: she fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 2-for-2. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Lily Hammonds was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and one triple.

Parkview Baptist was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.

Parkview Baptist's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-11. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for St. James, their loss dropped their record down to 4-15.

St. James took their victory against Parkview Baptist in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-6 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.