Softball Game Preview: Marion Center Stingers vs. Cambria Heights Highlanders

The Marion Center Stingers will face off against the Cambria Heights Highlanders at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Marion Center comes in on five and Cambria Heights on four.

Marion Center took a 11-run loss the last time they faced off against DuBois Central Catholic, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Stingers never let the Cardinals get on the board and left with a 1-0 win on Friday. The one-run effort marked the Stingers' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Cambria Heights got the win against Northern Cambria on Wednesday by a conclusive 13-2. Considering the Highlanders have won five contests by more than eight runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Alyssa Miller looked comfortable as she tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Gina Lane, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three runs, and one double. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Ellie Bender was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.

Cambria Heights kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. They are 6-1 when they post 11 or more hits.

Marion Center's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their hitting performance: the team's won by an average of 11.8 runs thus far. As for Cambria Heights, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.

Everything went Marion Center's way against Cambria Heights in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Marion Center made off with an 11-0 victory. Will the Stingers repeat their success, or do the Highlanders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.