The Center Grove Trojans will face off against the Shelbyville Golden Bears at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Center Grove will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
Center Grove's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Mt. Vernon by a score of 3-0. That's two games straight that the Trojans have won by exactly three runs.
Not much got past Sarah Riley, who gave up just four hits and racked up 13 Ks to keep Mt. Vernon off the board. Riley has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Sydney Herrmann, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Hayden Baird, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Center Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in eight consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Shelbyville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Cathedral 9-7. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Gracie Crafton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and three unearned) runs on 11 hits.
At the plate, Addison Stieneker was incredible, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Anna Shearer, who went 2-for-4 with one home run.
Center Grove pushed their record up to 20-3 with the victory, which was their 11th straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Shelbyville, their record is now 17-11.
Shelbyville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Center Grove has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.5 hits per game. It's a different story for Shelbyville, though, as they've been averaging 9.3 hits. Given Center Grove's sizable advantage in that area, the Golden Bears will need to find a way to close that gap.
Center Grove beat Shelbyville 5-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trojans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
