The Mitchell Mustangs are taking a road trip to challenge the Crystal River Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mitchell is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Fivay on Tuesday as they made off with a 17-3 victory. Winning may never get old, but the Mustangs sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
MacKenzie Tucker was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February of 2025. Another player making a difference was Brooke Heeman, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Mitchell was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Crystal River made sure to put some runs up on the board against Citrus on Wednesday. The Pirates were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over the Hurricanes. The Pirates have beaten the Hurricanes the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Hurricanes has come to flipping the script.
Violet Flynn spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mackenzie Herrick, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. That double was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Athena Childs, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Mitchell's record is now 7-5. As for Crystal River, their record now sits at 10-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mitchell has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Crystal River struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
