Bulldogs
| 04/24/25 @ Ballantyne Ridge | 7 |
| 04/09/25 vs Rocky River | 16 |
| 04/04/25 vs East Mecklenburg | 6 |
| 04/02/25 vs Parkwood | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Providence | 4 |
| + 13 more games |
The Butler Bulldogs will venture away from home to face off against the Independence Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Butler is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
In Thursday's Canine Competition, Butler came out on top. They walked away with a 7-2 win over Ballantyne Ridge on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.
Parker Lamb made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Alyssa Rubidoux was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Elisha Heath was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one double.
Meanwhile, Independence had already won 12 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it 13 on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Wonders by a score of 7-4.
Maliyah Alexander spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on 12 hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Natalie Johnson, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydnee Platt, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Independence pushed their record up to 18-2 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Butler, their record now sits at 7-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Butler hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Butler suffered a grim 15-4 defeat to Independence in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
