Softball Game Preview: Roxana Shells vs. East Alton-Wood River Oilers

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Previous Games

04/25/24 - Home	11-0 W
04/19/24 - Away	14-4 W
05/15/23 - Home	10-5 W
04/27/23 - Away	21-10 W
04/04/23 - Home	7-4 W
+ 5 more games

Roxana is a perfect 10-0 against East Alton-Wood River since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Shells will host the Oilers at 4:30 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Roxana has struggled recently with seven defeats in a row, while East Alton-Wood River will arrive with four straight wins.

Things were looking good for Roxana after they put the first runs on the board on Monday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Jersey by a score of 6-5.

While East Alton-Wood River didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-21), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by a 12-6 margin over Wesclin on Tuesday. With that victory, the Oilers brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.

Ellie Beachum made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up six earned runs off seven hits. Beachum was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-5.

In other batting news, East Alton-Wood River got a massive performance out of Haley Pratt, who fired off three home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-5. Those five RBI gave Pratt a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jordan Ealey, who went 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.

East Alton-Wood River was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .395. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wesclin only posted a batting average of .250.

East Alton-Wood River's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Roxana, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.

Everything went Roxana's way against East Alton-Wood River when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Roxana made off with an 11-0 win. Will the Shells repeat their success, or do the Oilers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.