The Lebanon Blue Devils will face off against the Stewarts Creek Red Hawks at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lebanon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Lebanon is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 11 runs on Saturday, they were much more limited against Smyrna on Tuesday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 12-1. The Blue Devils haven't had much luck with the Bulldogs recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Stewarts Creek, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over Cookeville on Tuesday. Considering the Red Hawks have won four matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Samya Sandifer made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over four innings pitched. Sandifer was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three).
In other batting news, Alexis Pope and Jadyn Brawley did most of the damage at the plate: Pope scored three runs while going 3-for-3, while Brawley scored three runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most runs Brawley has posted since back in April of 2024. Kloe Quigle was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Stewarts Creek always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .542. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cookeville only posted an OBP of .294.
Lebanon's defeat dropped their record down to 12-11. As for Stewarts Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lebanon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. However, it's not like Stewarts Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged .368. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lebanon was able to grind out a solid win over Stewarts Creek in their previous meeting two weeks ago, winning 5-1. Do the Blue Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
