The Ballard Bruins will take on the Nelson County Cardinals at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Ballard's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home while Nelson County has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Ballard barely beat North Oldham the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bruins were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over the Mustangs on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Bruins, who have now won 13 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Jaedyn Lyons and Emery Schuster made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Lyons didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Schuster tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Lyons has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Lyons got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two doubles, two RBI, and one run, while Schuster went 2-for-5 with two RBI, one run, and one double. What's more, Lyons posted three hits, the most she's had since back in April.
In other batting news, Ballard let Shelby James and Matilda Gorley run wild. James went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Gorley went 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most RBI Gorley has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Downey, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Ballard was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are 12-2 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Nelson County didn't have quite enough to beat Central Hardin on Monday and fell 4-2.
Aubrey Robbins was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Robbins was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Robbins wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Brin Reccius, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Ballard has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-11 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Nelson County, their loss dropped their record down to 20-7-1.
Both Ballard and Nelson County just can't seem to miss. The Bruins have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Nelson County struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.7 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
