Softball Game Preview: Dinuba Emperors vs. Lemoore Tigers

Emperors

Runs

05/02/25 @ Tulare Western	11
04/30/25 vs Hanford	1
04/25/25 @ Mission Oak	2
04/23/25 vs Tulare Union	0
04/15/25 @ Fowler	4
+ 19 more games

Dinuba has gone 8-2 against Lemoore recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Emperors will look to defend their home field against the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. Dinuba is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Dinuba turned things around against Tulare Western on Friday. They and the Mustangs finished up their matchup with an 11-11 tie. Considering the Emperors' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Neveah Garcia spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and six unearned) runs on 15 hits and racked up 14 Ks.

Meanwhile, Lemoore suffered their biggest loss since April 4th on Friday. They lost 12-3 to Mission Oak. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Hawks recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.

Maddie Bivens was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run. Kierra Deleon also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Dinuba's tie makes their record 15-8-1 this season. As for Lemoore, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-17-1.

Lemoore's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Dinuba has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Lemoore, though, as they've been averaging 8.8 hits. Given Dinuba's sizable advantage in that area, the Tigers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Dinuba took their victory against Lemoore when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 17-4 score. Will the Emperors repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.