The Cardinal Mooney Cougars will challenge the Braden River Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The timing is sure in Cardinal Mooney's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Braden River has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Cardinal Mooney proved they can win big last Tuesday (they won by ten) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Southwest Florida Christian 5-3.
Kaitlyn Will
| 04/22/25 vs Southwest Florida Christian | 1 |
| 04/14/25 @ Clearwater Central Catholic | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Saint Stephen's Episcopal | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Clearwater Central Catholic | 1 |
| 03/14/25 @ Lakewood Ranch | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Kaitlyn Will spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Olivia Lockhart, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Ava Proffitt, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Braden River can bid farewell to their eight-game losing streak thanks to their game on Monday. They never let Bayshore get on the board and left with an 18-0 win. The Pirates' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last three games.
Seleighna Elizondo made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Elizondo was also big at the plate, earning one RBI, three runs, and two stolen bases. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Braden River got a massive performance out of Leighton Paul, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one double. Those three stolen bases gave Paul a new career-high. Maddie Kasch was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Braden River always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Cardinal Mooney's victory bumped their record up to 11-5. As for Braden River, their win bumped their record up to 4-17.
Braden River's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Cardinal Mooney has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .469. It's a different story for Braden River, though, as they've only averaged .361. Will they be able to contain Cardinal Mooney's hitters?
Everything went Cardinal Mooney's way against Braden River in their previous meeting back in March, as Cardinal Mooney made off with an 11-3 victory. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pirates turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
