The Mt. Zion Braves will face off against the Argenta-Oreana Bombers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mt. Zion's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Decatur Eisenhower 19-0. The Braves' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Nikki Ellegood was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs and two RBI.
Ella Fink
| 05/01/25 @ Decatur Eisenhower | 4 |
| 04/26/25 vs Olympia | 3 |
| 04/14/25 vs Beecher | 3 |
| 04/12/25 @ Taylorville | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ Effingham | 3 |
In other batting news, Mt. Zion got a massive performance out of Ella Fink, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those four hits gave Fink a new career-high. Savannah Beiler was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
Mt. Zion was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .862. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .360 or higher in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Argenta-Oreana came tearing into Thursday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Knights with a sharp 10-1 victory.
Elyssa Armstrong spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on six hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Gracie Manning, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Angelina Madrigal, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Mt. Zion has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Argenta-Oreana, they pushed their record up to 12-10 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
Both Mt. Zion and Argenta-Oreana just can't seem to miss. The Braves have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Argenta-Oreana struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mt. Zion was able to grind out a solid win over Argenta-Oreana in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 5-0. Do the Braves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bombers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
