The Ryle Raiders will challenge the Rising Sun Shiners at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Ryle is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Ryle is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest loss since May 2, 2024 on Wednesday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (10-3), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.
Leah Broussard made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
Meanwhile, Rising Sun waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Raiders a 6-0 shutout.
Emily Oatman made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. Those stolen bases marked the first that she has snagged this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tamryn Miller, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. That home run was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Works, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Rising Sun pushed their record up to 4-3 with the victory, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Ryle, their defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 9-4-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Ryle hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Rising Sun struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Ryle suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Rising Sun when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Raiders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
