The Bishop Ready Silver Knights will head out to square off against the West Jefferson Roughriders at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bishop Ready will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Bexley on Wednesday. The Silver Knights put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 14-4 victory.
The team relied heavily on Avalyn McCoy, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Mila Gerardi was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Bishop Ready kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.4 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 8.8.
Meanwhile, West Jefferson made easy work of Triad on Tuesday and carried off a 19-2 win. That looming 19-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Roughriders yet this season.
Hailey McBrayer was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. McBrayer was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Kimberly Warnock and Payton Kincade did most of the damage at the plate: Warnock went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Kincade went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Zoey Brown, who went 2-for-5 with three runs and one RBI.
West Jefferson's victory was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.6 runs over those games. As for Bishop Ready, their record is now 4-9.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Bishop Ready has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .443. However, it's not like West Jefferson struggles in that department as they've averaged .474. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bishop Ready came out on top in a nail-biter against West Jefferson in their previous matchup back in May of 2021, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Silver Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
