Softball Game Preview: Mission Oak Hawks vs. Hanford Bullpups

The Mission Oak Hawks will head out on the road to take on the Hanford Bullpups at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Mission Oak is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Mission Oak and Tulare Union meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again last Friday. The Hawks came out on top against the Tribe by a score of 5-2.

Maleena Martin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Braelyn Serpa, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Journee Hernandez, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Hanford lost 13-1 to Bullard on Tuesday. The loss continues a trend for the Bullpups in their meetings with the Knights: they've now lost five in a row.

The victory got Mission Oak back to even at 9-9-1. As for Hanford, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11-2.

Everything went Mission Oak's way against Hanford when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Mission Oak made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Bullpups have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.