Softball Game Preview: Garrett Railroaders vs. Lakeland Lakers

The Garrett Railroaders will square off against the Lakeland Lakers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Garrett is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.

Garrett is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Fairfield just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Falcons by a score of 7-6.

Peyton Grindstaff made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayiden Feicht, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.

Meanwhile, Lakeland was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They lost 12-3 to Westview.

Lakeland saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cheyenne Short, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double was Short's first of the season. Kylee Waldron was another, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

Lakeland's loss dropped their record down to 3-9. As for Garrett, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 12-3.

Lakeland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Garrett has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. It's a different story for Lakeland, though, as they've been averaging 11.2 hits. Given Garrett's sizable advantage in that area, the Lakers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Garrett might still be hurting after the 8-1 loss they got from Lakeland in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Railroaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.