The Iota Bulldogs will face off against the DeRidder Dragons at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Thursday, Iota needed a bit of extra time to put away Iowa. They had just enough and edged out the Yellowjackets 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since February 29, 2024.
Chloe Darbonne
| 02/27/25 vs Iowa | 3 |
| 02/25/25 @ Grand Lake | 2 |
| 02/22/25 @ Teurlings Catholic | 1 |
| 02/10/25 vs North Vermilion | 1 |
| 02/17/24 @ Catholic - N.I. | 1 |
Chloe Bordelon and Chloe Darbonne did most of the damage at the plate: Bordelon went 3-for-6 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Darbonne went 3-for-6 with three stolen bases and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave Darbonne a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Addison Cormier, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-6.
Iota hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Iowa struck out 14 times.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when DeRidder and DeQuincy meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Thursday. DeRidder narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past DeQuincy 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Dragons have posted against the Tigers since March 7, 2015.
Laila Roberson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits. That earned run marked the first that she tossed this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Haleigh Cooley was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases. Madilynn Jenkins was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
Iota pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8.1 runs. As for DeRidder, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
DeRidder's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Iota has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. It's a different story for DeRidder, though, as they've been averaging 9.8 hits. Given Iota's sizable advantage in that area, DeRidder will need to find a way to close that gap. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
