Softball Game Preview: Roosevelt Bears vs. Edsel Ford Thunderbirds

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Previous Games

05/06/24 - Away	11-6 W
04/15/24 - Home	10-4 W
05/10/23 - Home	12-5 W
04/19/23 - Away	13-0 W
05/10/22 - Home	13-3 W
+ 3 more games

Roosevelt is a perfect 8-0 against Edsel Ford since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Bears will venture away from home to challenge the Thunderbirds at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Roosevelt has five straight victories, Edsel Ford has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Wednesday, Roosevelt got the win against Lincoln Park by a conclusive 18-2. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by seven runs or more this season.

Grace Papler made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brooklyn Chlipala, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three doubles, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Shaylan Gourlay, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.

Roosevelt always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .833. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Edsel Ford came up short against Taylor on Wednesday and fell 10-5.

Roosevelt's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Edsel Ford, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.

Roosevelt beat Edsel Ford 11-6 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Bears repeat their success, or do the Thunderbirds have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.