The Brownstown Central Braves will face off against the South Ripley Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Brownstown Central is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Brownstown Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over Brown County. That's two games straight that the Braves have won by exactly five runs.
Shyla Steele tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Brailey Teipen was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kinzee Dean, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for South Ripley, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Monday. Everything went their way against Oldenburg Academy on Wednesday as they made off with a 15-5 win. The victory continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Twisters: they've now won eight in a row.
Ellie Combs was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Combs was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, one triple, and one double. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julia Hilton, who went 1-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. Anna Block was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
South Ripley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .607. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
South Ripley pushed their record up to 10-12 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Brownstown Central, their record is now 15-13.
Brownstown Central took their win against South Ripley in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 12-0 score. Will the Braves repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
