The Shelbyville Golden Bears will venture away from home to face off against the Greenfield-Central Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
Shelbyville fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Jennings County on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 6-5. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Addison Stieneker was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Destiney Johnson, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Greenfield-Central had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Huskies, sneaking past 3-1. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly two runs.
Addie Heacox tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024.
At the plate, Savvanna Riall was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as she's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games she's played. Kristen Wineinger was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Greenfield-Central hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two batters in four consecutive games.
Greenfield-Central's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-7. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 4.5 runs across that stretch. As for Shelbyville, their defeat dropped their record down to 16-10.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Shelbyville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. However, it's not like Greenfield-Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .336. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shelbyville was able to grind out a solid win over Greenfield-Central when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 4-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Golden Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
