Softball Game Preview: Stone Tomcats vs. Pearl River Central Blue Devils

Stone is 1-9 against Pearl River Central since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Stone Tomcats will look to defend their home field against the Pearl River Central Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Thursday, Stone was able to grind out a solid win over Wayne County, taking the game 8-3.

Mattie Gibson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on three hits. Furthermore, she didn't allow a single walk, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in February.

At the plate, Jaszian Ray was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Kahlen Vaughn, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Stone hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Pearl River Central got the win against Hattiesburg on Thursday by a conclusive 16-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Blue Devils.

Stone has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. Pearl River Central pushed their record up to 6-4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road.

Stone might still be hurting after the 7-0 loss they got from Pearl River Central when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will Stone have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.