Softball Game Preview: Hoover Vikings vs. Tuslaw Mustangs

The Hoover Vikings will square off against the Tuslaw Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Hoover is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs last Wednesday, they were much more limited against Perry on Monday. They fell 5-2 to the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Tuslaw had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 15-9 margin over the Falcons. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won eight contests by six runs or more so far this season.

Hadley Porter was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Kaydence Chapman, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs.

Tuslaw always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fairless only posted an OBP of .389.

Tuslaw's win bumped their record up to 17-4. As for Hoover, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-14 record this season.

Hoover was able to grind out a solid victory over Tuslaw in their previous meeting back in March of 2017, winning 3-0. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.