The Canton Eagles will take on the Centennial Spartans in a tournament on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
It was a Battle of the Birds when Canton challenged Red Oak on Tuesday. The Eagles were the clear victors by an 11-4 margin over the Hawks. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now won five in a row.
Rylee Busby
| 02/24/26 vs Red Oak | 11 |
| 02/21/26 vs New Diana | 7 |
| 02/17/26 vs Longview | 9 |
Rylee Busby made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off eight hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Arianna Whitlock was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Alexis Baier was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Canton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2025.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Centennial). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Cleburne a 13-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Spartans not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 26, 2025 (when they won 21-0).
Not much got past Brooke Mayner, who gave up just a hit and racked up 16 Ks to keep Cleburne off the board.
On the hitting side, Lexie Arthur and Ava Ellis did most of the damage at the plate: Arthur went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Ellis went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. What's more, Arthur posted two doubles, the most she's had since back in April of 2025. Another player making a difference was Aniya Ragland, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
Canton picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 3-5. As for Centennial, the win was their first on the road, bumping their record up to 9-5.
