Softball Game Preview: Galax Maroon Tide vs. Bland County Bears

Galax has gone 8-2 against Bland County recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Maroon Tide will be playing at home against the Bears at 5:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

Galax took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They blew past Radford 13-3. With that win, the Maroon Tide brought their scoring average up to 7.4 runs per game.

Molly Plant spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on three hits and racked up ten Ks.

Kaylin Barnes

Runs

04/02/25 vs Radford	4
04/01/25 @ Giles	1

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kaylin Barnes, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, two triples, and two stolen bases. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.5 runs per game. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Sizemore, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.

Galax always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Radford only posted an OBP of .370.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bland County). They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 14-13 victory over Narrows on Wednesday. Considering the Bears' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Galax's win bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Bland County, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.

Galax took their win against Bland County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 22-3 score. Will the Maroon Tide repeat their success, or do the Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.