Softball Game Preview: Ponce De Leon Pirates vs. Freeport Bulldogs

Ponce De Leon is 1-9 against Freeport since March of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Pirates will square off against the Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m.

Ponce De Leon is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 11 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Kinston on Thursday. They lost 15-0 to the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Freeport had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They came out on top against the Sharks by a score of 8-5.

Kaylee Carroll spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits.

At the plate, Kayla Stephens was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. She continues to improve, besting her previous run total in each of the last three games she's played. Annsleigh Withey was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Freeport now has a winning record of 10-9. As for Ponce De Leon, their loss dropped their record down to 7-11.

Freeport's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Ponce De Leon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Freeport, though, as they've been averaging only 3 strikeouts. Will Ponce De Leon keep running through batters, or will the Bulldogs buck the trend?

Ponce De Leon couldn't quite finish off Freeport when the teams last played on April 3rd and fell 6-4. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.