Softball Game Preview: Merkel Badgers vs. Brownwood Lions

The Merkel Badgers will take on the Brownwood Lions at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. Merkel knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past three matchups -- so hopefully Brownwood likes a good challenge.

Merkel took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Grape Creek as Merkel made off with a 16-1 win. The Badgers haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.

Kindsey Rich was a standout: she went a perfect 4-for-4 with six RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Bailey Smith, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Merkel 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 three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Brownwood unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They came up short against Gatesville, falling 16-6. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Carlee Burks was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.

Brownwood's loss dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Merkel, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-4.

Everything went Merkel's way against Brownwood in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as Merkel made off with a 9-0 victory. Does Merkel have another victory up their sleeve, or will Brownwood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.