The De Leon Bearcats will challenge the Lipan Indians at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. De Leon knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Lipan likes a good challenge.
It was a proper cat-fight when De Leon took on Santo on Tuesday. Everything went De Leon's way against Santo as De Leon made off with a 12-6 victory. The Bearcats haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
| 03/01/25 vs Clyde | 1 |
| 02/14/25 vs Hamilton | 3 |
| 03/05/25 vs Cross Plains | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs Hamlin | 7 |
| 03/07/25 vs Eula | 8 |
Brooklyn Barnes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and five unearned) runs on four hits and racked up ten Ks. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kaitlyn Hodges, who went 3-for-4 with two triples, five RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Trinity Gonzales, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Hodges wasn't the only one working in the hit department: De Leon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lipan came up short against Graford on Tuesday and fell 6-2.
Ella Sharp put in work no matter where she played. She struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off ten hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Gentry Kirkland was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI.
De Leon's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-3. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.2 runs over those games. As for Lipan, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
Lipan's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: De Leon has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .561. It's a different story for Lipan, though, as they've only averaged .349. Will they be able to contain De Leon's hitters?
De Leon couldn't quite finish off Lipan when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 3-1. Can De Leon avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
