The Malvern Leopards will head out on the road to square off against the Mena Bearcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Malvern's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over Fountain Lake. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Leopards.
Kendall Watson
| 04/01/25 vs Fountain Lake | 5 |
| 03/03/25 @ Genoa Central | 3 |
| 03/31/25 vs Magnet Cove | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs Arkansas | 2 |
| 03/15/25 @ Nashville | 2 |
Kendall Watson was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hattie Davis, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Takayla Stewart also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Malvern always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fountain Lake only posted an OBP of .133.
Meanwhile, Mena came tearing into Tuesday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Bulldogs as they made off with a 15-0 win.
Like Malvern, Mena also got a great game from a two-way player: Abi Koppein. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Koppein was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and two doubles.
In other batting news, Laynie Powell was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Lily Rowland, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles.
Mena pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Malvern, their record is now 9-4.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Malvern hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .405. However, it's not like Mena struggles in that department as they've averaged .367. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Malvern couldn't quite get it done against Mena in their previous matchup back in April of 2022 as they fell 8-5. Can the Leopards avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
