Piasa Birds
| 04/12/25 vs Alton | 16 |
| 04/11/25 @ Hillsboro | 20 |
| 04/09/25 @ Highland | 4 |
| 04/08/25 vs North Greene | 10 |
| 04/01/25 @ Carrollton | 0 |
| + 3 more games |
The Southwestern Piasa Birds will take on the Roxana Shells at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Southwestern is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.9 runs per game this season.
Southwestern barely beat Alton the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Piasa Birds never let the Redbirds get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory on Saturday. The win continues a trend for the Piasa Birds in their matchups with the Redbirds: they've now won seven in a row.
Hannah Mary made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. Mary was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Sydney Valdes was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Vivian Zurheide was another key player, scoring three runs while going 1-for-3.
Southwestern was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Roxana was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their tenth straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 13-3 to East Alton-Wood River.
Lilli Ray was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Josie Brannon also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Southwestern now has a winning record of 4-3-1. As for Roxana, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.
Roxana's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Southwestern has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Roxana, though, as they've been averaging 13.2 hits. Given Southwestern's sizable advantage in that area, the Shells will need to find a way to close that gap.
Southwestern couldn't quite get it done against Roxana in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 19-16. Will the Piasa Birds have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
