The Monticello Billies will head out to square off against the Crossett Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Monticello got the win against Warren by a conclusive 20-9. The victory continues a trend for the Billies in their matchups with the Lumberjacks: they've now won eight in a row.
Alaina Lyle
| 04/08/25 @ Warren | 3 |
| 03/20/25 vs Hamburg | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Watson Chapel | 1 |
| 03/14/25 vs Ouachita Parish | 1 |
| 03/06/25 @ Stuttgart | 1 |
Alaina Lyle made a splash while hitting and pitching. She tossed 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Lyle was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-6 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Libby Kingston, who scored four runs while going 4-for-5. Bliss Becker was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 4-for-6.
Monticello always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Warren only posted an OBP of .343.
Meanwhile, Crossett never let their opponents score on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Watson Chapel as they made off with a 20-0 win. That 20 run margin sets a new team best for the Eagles this season.
Like Monticello, Crossett also got a great game from a two-way player: Rylee Meeks. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Meeks was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, Braelyn Campbell and Zoey Jones did most of the damage at the plate: Campbell scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Jones scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Lainey Graves, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Crossett has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.5 runs over those games. As for Monticello, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Everything went Monticello's way against Crossett in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Monticello made off with an 11-0 win. Do the Billies have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
