Softball Game Preview: Permian Panthers vs. Midland Bulldogs

Permian is 2-8 against Midland since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

While Permian's victory against Midland Legacy wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers had just enough and edged out the Rebels 8-7 on Friday. The win was some much needed relief for the Panthers as it spelled an end to their seven-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, Midland made easy work of Odessa on Tuesday and carried off a 13-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won 16 matches by six runs or more so far this season.

Midland got a great performance from Malayah Carillo as she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Carillo has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Baylie Savage and Ryleigh Thiebaud did most of the damage at the plate: Savage went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Thiebaud went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave Thiebaud a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bree Battenfelder, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.

Midland pushed their record up to 22-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Permian, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 14-10-2.

Permian suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to Midland when the teams last played two weeks ago. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.