South Ripley and Southwestern are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Raiders will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Rebels at 5:00 p.m. South Ripley has given up an average of 9.3 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
South Ripley is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with a 21-17 victory over New Washington on Thursday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Raiders needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Ellie Combs made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. Combs was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
Anna Block
| 05/15/25 @ New Washington | 2 |
| 05/09/25 vs New Washington | 1 |
| 05/07/25 @ Jac-Cen-Del | 1 |
| 04/22/25 @ Austin | 1 |
| 04/21/25 @ Southwestern | 1 |
In other batting news, Anna Block was a standout: she went 3-for-6 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Taylor Jordan, who went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases and four runs.
South Ripley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 22 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 9.2.
Meanwhile, Southwestern came up short against Milan on Thursday, falling 14-1. The Rebels have struggled against the Indians recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost meeting.
Southwestern saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rorie Scroggins, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
South Ripley has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-11 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Southwestern, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.
South Ripley's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Raiders have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Southwestern, though, as they've been averaging only 0.6 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will South Ripley continue to outrun the ball?
South Ripley was able to grind out a solid victory over Southwestern in their previous meeting back in April, winning 5-2. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rebels turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
