The Ironton Fighting Tigers are taking a road trip to take on the Gallia Academy Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Ironton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.3 runs per game this season.
Ironton's last matchup with Dawson-Bryant could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's match on Wednesday. The Fighting Tigers came up short against the Hornets, falling 11-4. That makes it the first time this season the Fighting Tigers have let down their home crowd.
Ava Bihl
| 04/16/25 vs Dawson-Bryant | 11 |
| 04/15/25 @ South Point | 9 |
| 04/10/25 @ Blazer | 7 |
| 04/07/25 vs Fairland | 15 |
| 04/02/25 @ Cabell Midland | 5 |
| 04/01/25 @ Fairland | 9 |
Ava Bihl spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and six unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Miley Bias was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Khamil Martin, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
While Gallia Academy didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over Chesapeake on Wednesday. The Blue Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by nine runs or more this season.
Chloe Bennett and Colbie Nida were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Bennett didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Nida tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At the plate, Bennett scored four runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-4, while Nida went 2-for-4 with three RBI. With that strong performance, Bennett is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game.
In other batting news, Ava Angel and Braylee Fellure did most of the damage at the plate: Angel went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Fellure scored two runs while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Maggie Davis, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
The win made it two in a row for Gallia Academy and bumps their season record up to 7-4. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 6 runs in those games. As for Ironton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 9-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Ironton hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Gallia Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Ironton's way against Gallia Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Ironton made off with a 14-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Fighting Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
