Softball Preview: Western Reserve Blue Devils vs. Mineral Ridge Rams
Western Reserve is 7-1 against Mineral Ridge since April of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Western Reserve Blue Devils will head out on the road to take on the Mineral Ridge Rams at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mineral Ridge is hoping to do on Monday what Waterloo couldn't on Thursday: put an end to Western Reserve's winning streak, which now stands at eight games. Western Reserve put the hurt on Waterloo with a sharp 13-3 victory.
Katie Byers was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Byers was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI.
In other batting news, Sophia Reigle was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Reigle is crushing it when it comes to RBI: she's brought in at least three every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Allison Jones, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Mineral Ridge made easy work of Springfield on Thursday and carried off a 15-4 win.
Like Western Reserve, Mineral Ridge also got a great game from a two-way player: Lily Merolillo. She struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Merolillo was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Laney Rigley, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, five RBI, and two doubles. Aaliyah Wall was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
Western Reserve's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. As for Mineral Ridge, their record now sits at 11-6.
Western Reserve took their win against Mineral Ridge in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 17-7. Does Western Reserve have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mineral Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
