The Brodhead Cardinals will square off against the Jefferson Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Brodhead 2.1, Jefferson 1.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Brodhead is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Edgerton a 14-0 shutout on Thursday. The Cardinals have beaten the Crimson Tide the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Crimson Tide has come to flipping the script.
Ava Risum was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April.
Mady Henning
| 05/08/25 vs Edgerton | 5 |
| 05/02/25 @ East Troy | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Whitewater | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Fall Creek | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Dodgeville | 1 |
In other batting news, Mady Henning was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five RBI and two runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tatum Ceslok, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Brodhead always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Jefferson narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Waterloo 4-3.
Like Brodhead, Jefferson also got a great game from a two-way player: Aeryn Messmann. On the mound, she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Messmann was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Messmann wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ashlyn Enke, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Brodhead's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Jefferson, their win bumped their record up to 15-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Brodhead has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Jefferson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Brodhead came out on top in a nail-biter against Jefferson when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. Will the Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
