Softball Game Preview: Elmwood Royals vs. Vanlue Wildcats

For the first time this season, Elmwood will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against the Vanlue Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Elmwood is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.

Monday just wasn't the day for Elmwood's offense. They fell 3-0 to Whitmer last Monday.

Elmwood saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Trinity Sander, who went 2-for-4 with one double.

Meanwhile, Vanlue started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Ada. They came up short against the Bulldogs on Monday, falling 23-10.

Olivia Secord and Riley Smith stepped up to the plate in a big way. Secord scored four runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3, while Smith went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those hits marked the first that Smith got this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrienne Phillips, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.

Vanlue's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Elmwood, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.

Elmwood took their win against Vanlue in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-1 score. Will the Royals repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.