Softball Game Preview: Tolar Rattlers vs. Early Longhorns

Rattlers

Runs

03/17/25 @ Peaster	7
03/15/25 vs Eastland	6
03/11/25 @ Millsap	17
03/07/25 @ Breckenridge	5
03/05/25 vs Dublin	15
+ 13 more games

The Tolar Rattlers will face off against the Early Longhorns at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Tolar is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Tolar and Peaster, and Peaster kept the tradition alive. Tolar took an 11-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of Peaster on Monday.

Lane Gardner was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Senne Imel, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Early, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Breckenridge 3-2. The three-run effort marked the Longhorns' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Early also got a great performance from Leslee Beard as she tossed 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. That's the fewest hits Beard has allowed over her last nine matches.

On the hitting side, Early saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sydney Greaves, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Greaves hit this season.

Tolar has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-9 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. Early's victory bumped their record up to 11-4.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Tolar hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Early struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.