Softball Game Preview: Breese Central Cougars vs. Roxana Shells

Breese Central is 8-2 against Roxana since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Cougars will head out to challenge the Shells at 4:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Breese Central and Mater Dei have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Cougars wound up with the same score they had in their last game (5-4), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.

Eden Campanella

Base on Balls Against

04/22/26 @ Mater Dei	2
04/21/26 vs Roxana	2
04/17/26 vs Mascoutah	0
04/16/26 vs Freeburg	1
04/14/26 @ Freeburg	1
+ 2 more games

Eden Campanella put in work no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.

Campanella wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Madison Ahle, who went 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.

Roxana couldn't beat Breese Central on Tuesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the seventh inning. The Shells fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 5-4. The Shells have struggled against the Cougars recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Breese Central's defeat dropped their record down to 11-9. As for Roxana, their loss dropped their record down to 12-5.

Roxana's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Breese Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Roxana, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Breese Central keep running through batters, or will the Shells buck the trend?

Breese Central skirted past Roxana 5-4 in their previous meeting on Tuesday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.