Softball Game Preview: Van Vleck Leopards vs. East Bernard Brahmas

Van Vleck is on a three-game streak of home wins, while East Bernard is on a seven-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Leopards will host the Brahmas at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Van Vleck 2.7, East Bernard 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Van Vleck's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They came out on top against Brazos by a score of 4-0. The Leopards haven't had any issues with the Cougars recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Meanwhile, East Bernard put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Friday. Everything went their way against Hitchcock as they made off with a 15-0 victory. The Brahmas might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by six runs or more this season.

Rylie Holder made a splash no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.

In other batting news, Taylor Viktorin was excellent, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February. Kylie Zarate was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.

East Bernard is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Van Vleck, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4-2.

Van Vleck suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to East Bernard in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Will the Leopards have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.