Softball Game Preview: Clark Cougars vs. East Central Hornets

The Clark Cougars are taking a road trip to square off against the East Central Hornets at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Clark will be strutting in after a victory while East Central will be coming in after a loss.

Having struggled with eight defeats in a row dating back to last season, Clark turned things around against Judson on Thursday. They walked away with a 9-4 win over the Rockets. The Cougars' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Clark let Madyson Martinez and Ryan Liegl run wild. Martinez scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances, while Liegl went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most stolen bases Martinez has posted since back in April of 2024. Emery Morgan-Murtaza also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.

Clark always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .647. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, East Central entered their contest against Eagle Pass on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. East Central fell 8-5 to Eagle Pass.

Marissa Delgado was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jenise Ramirez, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.

The loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 4-3. As for Clark, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-7.

Clark came up short against East Central when the teams last played back in May of 2023, falling 4-1. Can Clark avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.