Softball Game Preview: Bryan Station Defenders vs. Taylor County Cardinals

The Bryan Station Defenders will head out on the road to square off against the Taylor County Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Taylor County will be up against a hot Bryan Station team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. Bryan Station put the hurt on Boone County with a sharp 11-1 win on Wednesday.

Karsyn Rockvoan made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over four innings pitched. Furthermore, she didn't allow a single hit, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tiahna Bowman, who scored four runs and stole six bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Brooke Weathers, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Taylor County duked it out with Cumberland County on Thursday. Taylor County was the clear victor by a 17-1 margin over Cumberland County. The high-scoring effort was just what the Cardinals needed considering they were shut out in their previous match.

Taylor County has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. Bryan Station pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.

Bryan Station came out on top in a nail-biter against Taylor County when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 9-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bryan Station since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.