Softball Game Preview: Elizabethtown Bears vs. Manheim Central Barons

The Elizabethtown Bears will challenge the Manheim Central Barons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Elizabethtown and Lampeter-Strasburg meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Bears came up short against the Pioneers, falling 10-3. The contest marked the Bears' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Meanwhile, Manheim Central lost 13-7 to Northern Lebanon on Wednesday. The Barons have struggled against the Vikings recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

Riley Hostetter put in work no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and nine unearned) runs off 11 hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.

In other batting news, Paige Garner made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Makenna Hess also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Manheim Central's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 5-7. As for Elizabethtown, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.