Softball Game Preview: Byron Bears vs. Pine Island Panthers

Byron and Pine Island are an even 4-4 against one another since May of 2015, but likely not for long. The Bears will welcome the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Byron is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.

Byron barely beat Zumbrota-Mazeppa the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bears were the clear victors by a 13-6 margin over the Cougars on Tuesday. The win was familiar territory for the Bears, who have now won three matchups in a row.

Tallie Behrens was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Behrens was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI and one run.

Kaydence Fjerstad

Hits (Career)

04/15/25 @ Zumbrota-Mazeppa	3
04/12/25 vs Medford	2
04/03/25 vs Austin	2
03/28/25 @ Goodhue	2
05/16/24 @ Stewartville	1

In other batting news, Byron let Kaydence Fjerstad and Macy Behringer run wild. Fjerstad went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Behringer went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Those three hits gave Fjerstad a new career-high. Leeah Strain was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

Byron was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Pine Island duked it out with Zumbrota-Mazeppa on Monday. The Panthers fell 11-6 to the Cougars.

Pine Island saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kiley Passow, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Peyton Barnett also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Byron's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Pine Island, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Byron skirted past Pine Island 2-0 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.