Bradley Central is 2-8 against Cleveland since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Bears will challenge the Raiders at 5:30 p.m.
Bradley Central easily dispatched Howard Tech on Thursday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Bears fell just short of Whitwell by a score of 3-1 on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Bears couldn't push the score so high this time.
Alli Wilson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, Bradley Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tori Cagle, who went 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Lexi Patterson also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Cleveland entered their tilt with McMinn County on Monday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Cherokees 15-6. That nine-run margin sets a new team best for the Raiders this season.
Lily Mason was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Landri Nelson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four runs, two RBI, and one double.
Cleveland kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.4 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 9.6.
Cleveland's victory bumped their record up to 3-9. As for Bradley Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-14.
Everything went Bradley Central's way against Cleveland when the teams last played back in March, as Bradley Central made off with an 11-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the 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.
