Softball Game Preview: Ava Bears vs. West County Bulldogs

Ava is on a nine-game streak of home wins, while West County is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Bears will welcome the Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Ava 3.1, West County 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Ava is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Missouri's top teams: Thayer, who was ranked 15th at the time (Ava was ranked 14th). The Bears sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over the Bobcats on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted since April 24, 2024.

Meanwhile, West County owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Licking as they made off with a 9-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won ten contests by six runs or more so far this season.

West County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Ava, their win bumped their record up to 21-4.

Ava couldn't quite finish off West County in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 and fell 2-0. Will the Bears have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.