Softball Game Preview: MacArthur Cardinals vs. Pearce Mustangs

For the second straight game, MacArthur will face off against Pearce. The Cardinals will square off against the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. MacArthur has given up an average of 19.1 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

MacArthur came into their game on Tuesday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They came up short against Pearce, falling 17-2.

For Pearce's part, Lexie Landers was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Landers was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

In other batting news, Alexa Falk and Emma Willers did most of the damage at the plate: Falk went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Willers got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Falk a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ashlyn Yarbrough, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs and one triple.

Pearce kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 12.4.

The win was the fifth in a row for Pearce, bringing their record up to 9-12-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for MacArthur, their loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-12-1.