Softball Game Preview: East Noble Knights vs. Bellmont Braves

East Noble is 2-7 against Bellmont since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Knights will welcome the Braves at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

East Noble's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against West Noble as they made off with a 21-0 win. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Chargers recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.

Paige Griggs

Runs Batted In

05/16/25 @ West Noble	3
05/15/25 vs New Haven	4
05/13/25 @ Goshen	3

Paige Griggs made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with three RBI and one run. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last three times she's played.

In other batting news, Bri Bortner and Aubrey Helmkamp did most of the damage at the plate: Bortner got on base in all five of her plate appearances with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Helmkamp went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI. That's the most runs Bortner has posted since back in May of 2024. Shaye Ritchie was another key player, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Bellmont came tearing into Wednesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Barons 17-9.

Bellmont pushed their record up to 9-9 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for East Noble, their win bumped their record up to 15-6-1.

East Noble couldn't quite finish off Bellmont in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 and fell 10-8. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.