Softball Game Preview: Jackson-Milton Bluejays vs. Mineral Ridge Rams

Bluejays

Runs

04/24/25 @ Columbiana	1
04/22/25 vs Memorial	5
04/22/25 vs Memorial	15
04/16/25 vs Southeast	9
04/14/25 vs Ursuline	8
+ 7 more games

Jackson-Milton is 6-1 against Mineral Ridge since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Bluejays will look to defend their home field against the Rams at 5:00 p.m. Jackson-Milton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.6 runs per game this season.

Jackson-Milton is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest defeat since April 3rd on Thursday. They came up short against Columbiana, falling 11-1. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Bluejays' biggest loss of the season was also their lowest-scoring.

Jackson-Milton saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brena McBeth, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Mineral Ridge fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Garfield on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the G-Men by a score of 8-7. The Rams have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Laney Rigley made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Sullivan Sandy, who went 3-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Mineral Ridge's loss dropped their record down to 11-4. As for Jackson-Milton, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-4 record this season.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Jackson-Milton hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Mineral Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.

Jackson-Milton beat Mineral Ridge 12-8 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Bluejays repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.