Softball Game Preview: New Riegel Blue Jackets vs. Monroeville Eagles

The New Riegel Blue Jackets will venture away from home to face off against the Monroeville Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with New Riegel sitting on seven straight wins and Monroeville on 12.

While New Riegel's victory against Old Fort wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Blue Jackets sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over the Stockaders on Wednesday. Four seems to be a good number for the Blue Jackets as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Monroeville). They were the clear victors by an 18-4 margin over Plymouth on Tuesday. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by nine runs or more this season.

Payton Weilnau made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.

In other batting news, Taryn Tyler was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with four runs, four RBI, and one double. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. Madison Reiber was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.

Monroeville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.

New Riegel's record is now 7-1. As for Monroeville, they pushed their record up to 12-0 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road.