Softball Game Preview: Fairfield Lions vs. Eastern Warriors

Fairfield is a perfect 6-0 against Eastern since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Lions will host the Warriors at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Eastern will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Fairfield extended their winning streak to three on Tuesday. Everything went the Lions' way against Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington as they made off with a 14-3 win.

Rilee Quickle made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted over her last nine matches. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Kelsie Crowder

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/22/25 vs Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington	4
04/17/25 vs Whiteoak	2
04/08/25 vs North Adams	2
04/07/25 vs Fayetteville-Perry	2
04/01/25 @ Peebles	2

In other batting news, Kelsie Crowder was incredible, firing off two home runs, four RBI, and one double while going 3-for-3. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jobey Hattan, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Eastern entered their tilt with Clermont Northeastern on Tuesday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Rockets. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Warriors considering their one-run performance the contest before.

Fairfield pushed their record up to 12-3 with the victory, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Eastern, their victory bumped their record up to 10-3.

Fairfield took their win against Eastern in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.