Softball Game Preview: Mingus Marauders vs. Coconino Panthers

The Mingus Marauders will face off against the Coconino Panthers at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Mingus has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with four straight defeats, while Coconino will come in with ten straight wins.

Mingus came up short against Flagstaff on Monday, falling 13-2.

Mingus saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Elora Bakhaus, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Bakhaus hit this season.

Meanwhile, Coconino put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Tuesday. They never let Lee Williams get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 games by seven runs or more this season.

Kaitlyn Tso made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emma Kennelly, who scored a run while going 1-for-1. Danica Kern was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.

Coconino hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lee Williams struck out 12 times.

Coconino's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Mingus, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.

Mingus might still be hurting after the 15-0 defeat they got from Coconino in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Marauders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.