Softball Game Preview: Poplar Bluff Mules vs. Chaffee Red Devils

The Poplar Bluff Mules will head out on the road to challenge the Chaffee Red Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Poplar Bluff sitting on four straight victories and Chaffee on nine.

Poplar Bluff's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They didn't even let West Plains on the board, marking the Mules' second-straight 10-0 shutout. Considering the Mules have won three games by more than nine runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.

The result came thanks to Elizabeth Blancett's shutout, as she gave up just three hits.

At the plate, Lillie Johnson and Kyleigh Edmundson did most of the damage at the plate: Johnson went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Edmundson went 4-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Those two runs gave Edmundson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Addison Valenzuela, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

Poplar Bluff was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .344 or higher in four consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Chaffee earned a 7-3 win over Fredericktown on Wednesday.

Poplar Bluff now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Chaffee, their record now sits at 20-3.

Poplar Bluff might still be hurting after the 15-2 defeat they got from Chaffee when the teams last played back in September of 2024. Can the Mules avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.