The Bell Blue Raiders will face off against the Byron Nelson Bobcat at 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bell will bounce into Monday's game after beating Southlake Carroll, who they had gone 1-7 against in their eight prior meetings. Bell put the hurt on Southlake Carroll with a sharp 17-9 victory on Friday. The Blue Raiders not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since February 15th.
The team relied heavily on Kenslee Turner, who went 3-for-5 with two triples and one run. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Reagan Bennett was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her six plate appearances.
Bell always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .587. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southlake Carroll only posted an OBP of .439.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Byron Nelson, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over Northwest on Friday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Bobcat as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Meredith Hambric looked comfortable as she tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Courtney Julian was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabriella Cuellar, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one triple.
The win made it two in a row for Bell and bumps their season record up to 5-9. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Byron Nelson, the victory got them back to even at 9-9-1.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bell hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. However, it's not like Byron Nelson struggles in that department as they've averaged .336. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bell skirted past Byron Nelson 3-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2018. Will Bell repeat their success, or does Byron Nelson have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
