Softball Game Preview: Ryle Raiders vs. Walton-Verona Bearcats

Ryle has gone 8-1 against Walton-Verona recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Raiders will face off against the Bearcats at 5:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ryle has five straight wins, Walton-Verona has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Wednesday, Ryle was able to grind out a solid victory over Cooper, taking the game 11-7.

Emily Gehring

Hits (Career)

04/16/25 @ Cooper	4
04/12/25 vs Beechwood	3
03/19/25 vs Lloyd Memorial	3
03/21/25 vs Dixie Heights	2
04/12/25 vs DuPont Manual	1

Emily Gehring was a standout: she scored two runs while going 4-for-5. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Leah Broussard, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.

Gehring wasn't the only one making solid contact: Ryle kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 13 hits in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Walton-Verona's offense. They lost 16-0 to Simon Kenton on Tuesday.

Ryle's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Walton-Verona, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.

Walton-Verona's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ryle has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Walton-Verona, though, as they've been averaging 9.8 hits. Given Ryle's sizable advantage in that area, the Bearcats will need to find a way to close that gap.

Ryle took their win against Walton-Verona in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Bearcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.