September 25th Doubleheaders Preview

As the Ontario University Softball (OUS) regular season grind pushes toward postseason positioning, Friday night lights set the stage for two crucial West Division doubleheaders. With the October championship tournament in Ottawa rapidly approaching, these matchups feature high-stakes battles and crucial divisional measuring sticks.

Series 1: McMaster Marauders vs. Western Mustangs

McMaster begins a six game weekend tonight in London. The Marauders are in desperate need of wins this weekend to stay in the playoff picture. They trail Windsor and Western right now by 4-points (3 games). Wins tonight will kick start what could be a big weekend for the Hamilton school, as they would directly reduce the deficit against the Mustangs in the standings.

Western had a rain shortened week 2, and will be looking to get back into the win column themselves following two home losses last Saturday. Western sits 3-3 and tied with Windsor for the 4th seed right now in a stacked Western Division. Taking both games tonight at home will get Western moving in the right direction as they look to continue their streak of playoff appearances.

Series 2: Guelph Gryphons vs. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

The defending OUS champions remain the team everyone wants to knock off. While the Golden Hawks feature a re-tooled pitching staff this fall, their championship experience, composure in tight innings, and clutch hitting make them a formidable opponent on home turf. Laurier went 4-0 last weekend and now sits 7-1 with the best record overall in the OUS.

The Gryphons are a hungry, re-loaded squad looking to make noise after missing the postseason last year. Packed with high-impact newcomers and a aggressive offensive mentality, Guelph plays with control making few mistakes defensively and using a talented pitching staff to always be in the game. Guelph swept two series last weekend and sits 6-2. They can overtake Laurier with a winning performance tonight in Waterloo.