Softball Game Preview: Yoncalla Eagles vs. Oakland Oakers

Yoncalla is 0-10 against Oakland since April of 2018 but things could change on Friday. The Eagles will venture away from home to take on the Oakers at 4:30 p.m.

Yoncalla fell victim to North Douglas and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against North Douglas, falling 10-0. Having soared to a lofty 29 runs in the game before, the Eagles' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Meanwhile, Oakland had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Wednesday. They blew past the Devils 14-4. The Oakers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by seven runs or more this season.

Maddie Dalberti spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on three hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ella Whittaker, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with four runs and two stolen bases. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Gwen Field also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Oakland pushed their record up to 13-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.4 runs over those games. As for Yoncalla, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.

Yoncalla might still be hurting after the 15-0 loss they got from Oakland in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.