The Council Grove Braves will square off against the Mission Valley Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Council Grove is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Council Grove fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Hillsboro on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 6-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Trojans. The Braves have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kaedyn Litke
| 05/05/25 vs Hillsboro | 2 |
| 05/05/25 vs Hillsboro | 1 |
| 05/02/25 vs Lyndon | 0 |
| 04/22/25 @ Remington | 2 |
Kaedyn Litke was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over eight innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two doubles.
In other batting news, Faith Blosser made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mission Valley). They put the hurt on Olpe with a sharp 23-3 victory on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won 13 matches by eight runs or more so far this season.
Keely Chesmore looked comfortable as she tossed four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits.
At the plate, Mission Valley got a massive performance out of Annie Bryan, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Those two doubles gave Bryan a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Josie Kraus, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one double.
Mission Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .600. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in seven consecutive contests.
Mission Valley has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Council Grove, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.
Council Grove might still be hurting after the 13-3 loss they got from Mission Valley in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Will the Braves 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.
