Softball Game Preview: Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin Raptors vs. Bastrop Bears

The Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin Raptors will head out to challenge the Bastrop Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Bastrop will be up against a hot Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Raptors blew past Richards School for Young Women Leaders 18-3 on Tuesday.

Rose Harrelson made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and three RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abby Aardema, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Claire Peters, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.

Meanwhile, Bastrop came tearing into Wednesday's match with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Vikings as they made off with a 19-1 victory. That's two games straight that the Bears have won by exactly 18 runs.

Bastrop pushed their record up to 14-5-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin, their win bumped their record up to 12-3.

Bastrop's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Bastrop, though, as they've been averaging only 3.2 strikeouts. Will Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin keep running through batters, or will the Bears buck the trend?

Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin suffered a grim 15-2 defeat to Bastrop when the teams last played back in March. Can the Raptors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.