Softball Game Preview: Bland County Bears vs. Auburn Eagles

Bland County hasn't had much luck against Auburn recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Bland County will be playing in front of their home fans against Auburn at 5:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Bland County is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 11th straight game dating back to last season on Tuesday. They lost 13-0 to Grayson County.

Bland County got a good showing from Katie Smith, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Auburn's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell just short of Blacksburg by a score of 6-4. The matchup marked the Eagles' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Auburn also got a good showing from Skyler Hodges, who pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Hodges has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Hope Wilson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high.

Even though they lost, Auburn lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Auburn's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Bland County, their loss dropped their record down to 0-2.

Bland County suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Auburn in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can Bland County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.