Softball Game Preview: Copper Basin Cougars vs. Cherokee Braves

The Copper Basin Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Cherokee Braves at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Copper Basin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Copper Basin nor Sale Creek made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Cougars won by a run and slipped past the Panthers 2-1. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

Kinsley Ross

Batters Struck Out

04/21/26 @ Sale Creek	10
04/18/26 vs Lenoir City	5
04/16/26 vs Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts	4
04/13/26 vs Robbinsville	1
04/09/26 vs Sale Creek	10
+ 8 more games

Kinsley Ross spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up ten Ks. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.3 strikeouts per game.

On the hitting side, Copper Basin saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alexis Hyatt, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.

Meanwhile, Cherokee fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Murphy on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 3-2. The Braves' loss continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.

Cherokee's defeat dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Copper Basin, their victory bumped their record up to 8-5.

Copper Basin couldn't quite get it done against Cherokee when the teams last played back in April of 2018 as they fell 9-5. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.