The Ballard Bruins will face off against the Bullitt East Chargers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bullitt East will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Ballard extended their winning streak to seven on Monday. The Bruins' pitcher stepped up to hand Bethlehem a 10-0 shutout.
Ryleah Lawrence was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one double. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Jaedyn Lyons, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
Ballard hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Bullitt East entered their tilt with Whitefield Academy on Monday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 16-0 victory.
Mackenzie Mingus made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). Mingus was also big at the plate, going a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Courtney Bass, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Mollie Johnston was another key player, getting on base in both of her plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Ballard pushed their record up to 17-9 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Bullitt East, their record is now 18-3.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Ballard hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .378. However, it's not like Bullitt East struggles in that department as they've averaged .400. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Ballard came up short against Bullitt East in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 6-3. Can the Bruins avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
