Softball Game Preview: Ava Bears vs. Warsaw Wildcats

The Ava Bears will face off against the Warsaw Wildcats on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Ava is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past West County 8-1. The Bears are really starting to get used to good results now that the team has won 12 straight.

Hunter Strunk spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.

Samantha Thompson

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/20/25 vs West County	4
05/01/25 @ Forsyth	3
04/07/25 vs Cabool	3
05/02/25 vs Hollister	2
04/18/25 @ Willow Springs	2

On the hitting side, Ava got a massive performance out of Samantha Thompson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave Thompson a new career-high. Paris Henry was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Warsaw had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Mules with a sharp 8-1 victory.

Ava pushed their record up to 22-4 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Warsaw, their win bumped their record up to 21-2.