The Mandarin Mustangs will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Creekside Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mandarin is coming home in high spirits after they had to open their season on the road against Fletcher. Mandarin walked away with an 8-4 win over Fletcher on Thursday. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Senators recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Shelby Ricketts spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March of 2024.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on MaKayla Oxley, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Madison Cady, who scored two runs while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Creekside got the win against Sandalwood on Thursday by a conclusive 16-3.
Riley Hopwood was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Hopwood was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Creekside got a massive performance out of Kaitlyn Robbins, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Hailey Cunningham was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Mandarin couldn't quite finish off Creekside in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 5-3. Will Mandarin have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
