Softball Game Preview: McKenzie Rebels vs. Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central Tigers

The McKenzie Rebels will face off against the Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Tuesday, McKenzie earned a 5-2 win over South Fulton.

Braylin Auvenshine spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits.

At the plate, McKenzie's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Carli Beeler, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Kailie Hudgins also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.

Meanwhile, Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Warriors.

Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Madison Holder gave up three runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits. Holder has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lilly McGee, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played.

Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central pushed their record up to 16-3 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.1 runs over those games. As for McKenzie, the win got them back to even at 4-4.

McKenzie suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Rebels avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.