Softball Game Preview: Oakland Oakers vs. Yoncalla Eagles

Oakland has gone a perfect 10-0 against Yoncalla recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Oakers will welcome the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. Oakland is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.

On Wednesday, Oakland got the win against Lowell by a conclusive 14-4. Considering the Oakers have won ten matchups by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Maddie Dalberti spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on three hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ella Whittaker, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with four runs and two stolen bases. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Gwen Field was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Yoncalla's offense. They lost 10-0 to North Douglas on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty 29 runs in the game before, the Eagles' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Oakland's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Yoncalla, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.

Oakland took their win against Yoncalla when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 15-0 score. Will the Oakers repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.