Softball Game Preview: Hoggard Vikings vs. Laney Buccaneers

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Previous Games

03/20/25 - Home	8-11 L
04/23/24 - Home	3-8 L
03/21/24 - Away	1-6 L
05/02/23 - Home	9-5 W
03/31/23 - Away	2-7 L
+ 5 more games

Hoggard and Laney are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2021, but likely not for long. The Vikings will venture away from home to take on the Buccaneers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Hoggard 3.5, Laney 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Hoggard's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Monday's struggle, when Cape Fear hitters got past them. The Vikings lost 12-4 to the Colts on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Vikings have suffered since March 4th.

Hoggard saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alyssa Norris, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run. Sophie Gee was another, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run.

Meanwhile, Laney had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.1 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight last Thursday. They put the hurt on the Screaming Eagle with a sharp 10-0 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Buccaneers considering their two-run performance the game before.

Bailey Bettencourt was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Layla Carr, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with four stolen bases and three runs.

Laney always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ashley only posted an OBP of .000.

Laney's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-2. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Hoggard, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season.

Hoggard couldn't quite get it done against Laney in their previous meeting back in March as they fell 11-8. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.