Softball Game Preview: McLane Highlanders vs. Dos Palos Broncos

McLane hasn't had much luck against Dos Palos recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Highlanders will head out to square off against the Broncos at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

McLane is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let San Luis Obispo get on the board and left with a 7-0 win. The Highlanders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by six runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Dos Palos had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over the Titans.

Breann Raney spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on ten hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Dos Palos let Jayla Bland and Liliana DelaRosa run wild. Bland went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while DelaRosa went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. DelaRosa is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Samantha VonAllman, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Dos Palos pushed their record up to 18-8-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for McLane, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-12-1.

McLane beat Dos Palos 3-0 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Highlanders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.