Softball Game Preview: Aquinas Institute Little Irish vs. Brighton Bruins

The Aquinas Institute Little Irish are taking a road trip to challenge the Brighton Bruins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Brighton took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Aquinas Institute, who comes in off a win.

While Aquinas Institute's win against Palmyra-Macedon wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Little Irish won by a run and slipped past the Red Raiders 3-2.

Kendall Buttles was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over nine innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and only one walk). Buttles was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base.

In other batting news, Addison Whipple and Delaney Buttles did most of the damage at the plate: Whipple went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one run, while Delaney went 2-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI. Those two doubles gave Buttles a new career-high. Olivia Ruiz also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Meanwhile, Brighton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They lost 16-4 to Webster Thomas. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Bruins have suffered since April 14th.

Aquinas Institute's record now sits at 8-5. As for Brighton, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11.

Aquinas Institute took their victory against Brighton in their previous meeting back in April of 2015 by a conclusive 16-5 score. Will the Little Irish repeat their success, or do the Bruins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.