Softball Game Preview: Downsville Demons vs. Southwood Cowboys

The Downsville Demons are taking a road trip to challenge the Southwood Cowboys at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Downsville fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Caddo Magnet on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Mustangs by a score of 3-1. The Demons have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Abbie Barkley

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/24/25 vs Caddo Magnet	8
03/11/25 @ Delhi Charter	7
03/18/25 @ Claiborne Christian	5
03/01/25 vs Beekman Charter	4
03/15/25 @ Evangel Christian Academy	1

Abbie Barkley spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up eight Ks. Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high.

At the plate, Downsville saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addy Austin, who went 2-for-3 with one double. That's the most hits Austin has posted since March 1st.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Southwood). They were the clear victors by a 31-15 margin over Pleasant Hill on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Cowboys considering their one-run performance the contest before.

Kaleigh Frazier was a standout: she got on base in five of her six plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those runs marked the first that she scored this season. Another player making a difference was Cailyn Thomas, who got on base in six of her seven plate appearances with four runs and four RBI.

Southwood always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .764. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Southwood's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-10. As for Downsville, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-11.

Everything went Downsville's way against Southwood in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as Downsville made off with an 18-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Downsville since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.