The Stuarts Draft Cougars are taking a road trip to take on the Strasburg Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Stuarts Draft is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Stuarts Draft barely beat Buffalo Gap the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Bison last Wednesday. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Bison recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Karlee Layne
| 05/20/26 @ Buffalo Gap | 7 |
| 05/07/26 vs Alleghany | 6 |
| 05/05/26 @ Rockbridge County | 15 |
| 04/30/26 vs Fort Defiance | 7 |
| 04/28/26 @ Riverheads | 5 |
| + 4 more games |
Karlee Layne made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Addy Coyner was a standout: she went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Lyla Shifflett also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Strasburg had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They came out on top against the Knights by a score of 2-0 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Not much got past Ava Mayhew, who gave up just three hits and racked up 19 Ks to keep Buckingham off the board.
On the hitting side, Madison Wilkins was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Karaline Brill, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Stuarts Draft's record is now 15-4. As for Strasburg, their record now sits at 17-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Stuarts Draft hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Strasburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Stuarts Draft couldn't quite finish off Strasburg when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 4-2. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
