Softball Game Preview: Mendota Trojans vs. Newman Central Catholic Comets

Mendota is 1-7 against Newman Central Catholic since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Trojans will welcome the Comets at 4:30 p.m. Mendota is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

Mendota will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Genoa-Kingston, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. The Trojans skirted past the Mascot 6-5.

The team relied heavily on Charlie Dankenbring, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Laurali Thompson was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

Mercer County hit Newman Central Catholic with a ten-run third inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Comets came up short against the Golden Eagles, falling 16-2.

Newman Central Catholic saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brenleigh Cook, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one double.

Newman Central Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 5-12. As for Mendota, their victory bumped their record up to 7-11.

Newman Central Catholic's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mendota has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. It's a different story for Newman Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging 8.8 hits. Given Mendota's sizable advantage in that area, the Comets will need to find a way to close that gap.

Mendota couldn't quite get it done against Newman Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 as they fell 6-2. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.