Softball Game Preview: Bay City Blackcats vs. Needville Bluejays

Bay City hasn't had much luck against Needville recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Blackcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bluejays at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Bay City took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Wharton a 5-0 shutout. The Blackcats haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Bay City saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lexiana Dickerson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Ameris Huerta also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.

Meanwhile, Needville had already won 12 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it 13 on Monday. They walked away with an 8-5 win over the Ricebirds.

Avery Dees spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Needville got a big performance out of Amron Elliott, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Josey Cantu, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.

Needville pushed their record up to 17-4 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Bay City, their victory bumped their record up to 8-13.

Bay City suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Needville in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Blackcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.