Odem hasn't had much luck against Mathis recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Owls will venture away from home to take on the Pirates at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Odem sitting on three straight wins and Mathis on six.
On Friday, Odem needed a bit of extra time to put away Aransas Pass. They had just enough and edged out the Panthers 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Owls have posted since March 7th.
Aria Bray
| 04/04/25 vs Aransas Pass | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ West Oso | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs George West | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Taft | 0 |
| 03/22/25 @ Ingleside | 2 |
Aria Bray spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and six unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Julia Garza, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in February. Anabella Santellana was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, while Mathis put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for West Oso. The Pirates were the clear victors by a 17-0 margin over the Bears. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by six runs or more this season.
Alyssa Herrera was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out nine over 5.2 innings pitched. Herrera was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Marivel Martinez and Leilani Cantu did most of the damage at the plate: Martinez went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs, while Cantu scored four runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. Cantu also put up a home run, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Angelina Hernandez, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Mathis hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive games.
Mathis' win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-6-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.7 runs over those games. As for Odem, their record now sits at 12-13.
Odem suffered a grim 16-4 defeat to Mathis in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Owls avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
