Softball Recap: Athens Victorious

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Previous 5 Games

04/21/26 - Away	6-1 W
04/22/25 - Home	8-13 L
04/17/24 - Away	0-1 L
04/19/22 - Away	4-0 W
04/09/19 - Away	8-18 L

Athens lost to Pleasant Plains back in April of 2025, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Tuesday. The Warriors walked away with a 6-1 win over the Cardinals.

MacKenzie Ratliff spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on eight hits.

On the hitting side, Preslie Buckmaster was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Emma Crispen was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Athens' victory bumped their record up to 13-6. As for Pleasant Plains, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 11-5.

Athens and Pleasant Plains should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Warriors (ranked 205th) will meet New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly (ranked 486th) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Pleasant Plains will square off against Taylorville at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday with a big rank advantage (48 vs. 211). The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Cardinals 3.1, the Tornadoes 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.