Softball Game Preview: Patuxent Panthers vs. Lackey Chargers

Patuxent has gone a perfect 9-0 against Lackey recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Chargers at 4:30 p.m. Patuxent will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.

Patuxent is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on St. Charles with a sharp 13-1 win on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Hannah Bruno was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.

Nia Mason

Runs (Career)

04/30/25 @ St. Charles	2
04/29/25 @ Great Mills	1
04/02/25 @ North Point	1
03/18/25 vs North Point	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nia Mason, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jasmine Somerville, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 21 runs the game before, Lackey was a bit more limited in their contest on Wednesday. They lost 14-2 to McDonough. The Chargers haven't had much luck with the Rams recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Patuxent has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-9 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Lackey, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-10.

Patuxent took their victory against Lackey in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 15-9 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Chargers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.