Softball Game Preview: Brighton Bengals vs. Alta Hawks

The Brighton Bengals will challenge the Alta Hawks at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

If Brighton beats Alta with 18 runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Bengals never let West get on the board and left with an 18-0 win on Wednesday. The contest marked the Bengals' most dominant victory of the season.

Alison Nikolaus made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Nikolaus was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.

In other batting news, Cynthia Knowlton was a standout: she got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March. Dalila Romero was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.

West hit Alta with a nine-run third inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Hawks fell 17-14 to the Panthers. While the Hawks didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Panthers 9-3 in the first period.

Brielle Watson was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Mattie Scow, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.

Brighton's win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-12. As for Alta, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost eight of their last ten games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-13 record this season.