Van Vleck is a perfect 9-0 against Hitchcock since March of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Van Vleck Leopards will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hitchcock Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Van Vleck 3, Hitchcock 3.8) 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 Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 10-0 margin over Hempstead. Considering the Leopards have won six matches by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lakyn Matchett
| 03/18/25 @ Hempstead | 16 |
| 03/13/24 @ Boling | 14 |
| 02/18/25 vs St. John XXIII | 13 |
| 03/05/24 @ Hempstead | 13 |
| 05/02/24 vs Anahuac | 12 |
Not much got past Lakyn Matchett, who gave up just five hits and racked up 16 Ks to keep Hempstead off the board. The dominant performance gave Matchett a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Ierial Garcia was a standout: she scored a run and stole Four bases. while going 3-for-4. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Kylie Sazera was another key player, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
Meanwhile, Hitchcock has relied on a stalwart pitcher averaging 3.85 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Tuesday. They lost 11-4 to Brazos. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Cougars recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Edyn Diehl made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Hitchcock's defeat dropped their record down to 10-3. As for Van Vleck, their win bumped their record up to 8-3-2.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Van Vleck hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like Hitchcock struggles in that department as they've averaged .469. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Van Vleck's way against Hitchcock when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Van Vleck made off with a 12-1 victory. Does Van Vleck have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hitchcock turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
