Softball Game Preview: Needles Mustangs vs. Holtville Vikings

The Needles Mustangs will take on the Holtville Vikings at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Needles' favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last nine contests.

On Friday, Needles got the win against White Pine by a conclusive 18-8. Considering the Mustangs have won 13 matches by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Audrina Bullchild

Batters Struck Out

04/18/25 vs White Pine	9
04/18/25 vs White Pine	5
04/14/25 vs Pahrump Valley	11
04/07/25 @ Williams	12
04/01/25 @ Laughlin	6
+ 13 more games

Audrina Bullchild made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up seven earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.1 strikeouts per game. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with one home run and three RBI.

In other batting news, Emmerson Powell was a standout: she got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Peyton Jackson, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.

Brawley hit Holtville with a five-run second inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Vikings came up short against the Wildcats, falling 12-2. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Needles has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.9 runs over those games. As for Holtville, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-15.

Needles took their victory against Holtville in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 13-4 score. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.