Baseball Game Preview: West Side Eagles vs. Shirley Blue Devils

West Side is a perfect 10-0 against Shirley since March of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Eagles will head out to face off against the Blue Devils at 4:00 p.m. West Side is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.1 runs per game this season.

West Side blew Norfork out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Tuesday Norfork got their revenge. The Eagles fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Eagles have suffered since May 17, 2025.

Dawson Baker

Base on Balls Against

04/14/26 @ Norfork	1
04/01/26 vs St. Joseph	2
03/19/26 vs Bradford	1
03/17/26 @ Concord	1
03/09/26 @ Calico Rock	0
+ 2 more games

Dawson Baker was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with three stolen bases.

Baker wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Branson Bittle, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases.

Meanwhile, Shirley hadn't done well against Viola recently (they were 0-8 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Blue Devils were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over the Longhorns. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils.

West Side's defeat dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Shirley, their victory bumped their record up to 2-9.

West Side got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in March against Shirley by a conclusive 19-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.