Softball Game Preview: Independence Falcons vs. Centennial Golden Hawks

The Independence Falcons will be taking part in a tournament against the Centennial Golden Hawks at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Independence's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Ridgeview 11-0. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won seven matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Centennial, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. Everything went their way against Bakersfield on Friday as they made off with a 10-0 win.

Madison Cabrera made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Cabrera was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lundyn Harrison, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Leah Barboza, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Centennial always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

The victory made it two in a row for Independence and bumps their season record up to 7-4. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Centennial, their record now sits at 9-7.

Independence might still be hurting after the 9-2 loss they got from Centennial in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can the Falcons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.