Softball Game Preview: Bland Tigers vs. Sulphur Bluff Bears

The Bland Tigers are taking a road trip to challenge the Sulphur Bluff Bears at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Bland has three straight wins, Sulphur Bluff has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Bland is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 27-1 margin over Campbell on Friday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Tigers with their most commanding win of the season.

Brookelynn Boren-Floyd and Makila Watson made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Boren-Floyd tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Watson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Furthermore, Boren-Floyd didn't allow a single earned run, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in February. At the plate, Boren-Floyd scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Watson went 2-for-3 with one home run, seven RBI, and two runs. Watson also put up a stolen base, which was her first of the season.

Natalyn Luper

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/21/25 @ Campbell	3
03/07/25 @ North Hopkins	1
03/05/25 vs North Hopkins	1
02/27/25 vs Princeton	1
02/14/25 @ Palo Duro	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Natalyn Luper, who scored four runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three). Peyton Neesmith was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.

Bland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .784. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Sulphur Bluff's offense. They came up short against Celeste on Friday, falling 21-0.

Sulphur Bluff's loss dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Bland, their record is now 6-10.

Bland took their victory against Sulphur Bluff when the teams last played back in February of 2016 by a conclusive 10-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bland since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.