Softball Game Preview: McMinn County Cherokees vs. Cleveland Blue Raiders

The McMinn County Cherokees will venture away from home to square off against the Cleveland Blue Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Cleveland took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on McMinn County, who comes in off a win.

Last Thursday, McMinn County earned a 6-1 victory over McMinn Central.

Meanwhile, Cleveland didn't have quite enough to beat Girls Prep on Thursday and fell 5-3. The Blue Raiders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Klaire Hall spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits.

At the plate, Brylee Cisco made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Aspen Tipton-Williams was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two RBI.

McMinn County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-9 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 9.5 hits in those games compared to only 5.44 in the others. Cleveland now has a losing record of 7-8.

McMinn County couldn't quite get it done against Cleveland in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 5-1. Can McMinn County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.