Softball Game Preview: Bayside Bears vs. Melbourne Bulldogs

Bayside is 1-8 against Melbourne since March of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Bears will venture away from home to challenge the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Bayside has three straight victories, Melbourne has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Last Thursday, Bayside made easy work of Cocoa Beach and carried off a 15-1 win. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by ten runs or more this season.

HALEIGH CURRY was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing four bases while going 3-for-3. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was CAYDEN PLATT, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.

Bayside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .576 or higher in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Melbourne came up short against Cardinal Gibbons on Saturday and fell 11-7.

Layna Ayala was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Hailey Cottrill also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.

Melbourne's defeat dropped their record down to 9-13. As for Bayside, the victory got them back to even at 8-8.

Melbourne's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bayside hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .380. It's a different story for Melbourne, though, as they've only averaged .245. Will they be able to contain Bayside's hitters? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.