The Rice Bulldogs will venture away from home to face off against the Maypearl Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Rice has four straight wins, Maypearl has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Rice's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Maypearl, sneaking past 2-0. The two-run effort marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Cadence Van Cleave
| 03/18/25 vs Maypearl | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Dawson | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Athens | 1 |
The result came thanks to Cadence Van Cleave's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Halie Adams, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. Chloe Perry also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Rice pushed their record up to 8-1-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Maypearl, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-7-2.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Rice has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .544. However, it's not like Maypearl struggles in that department as they've averaged .457. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
