Eastern hasn't had much luck against Clay recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Eagles are packing up and heading out on the road for their first away game of the season: they will challenge the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Eastern's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past South Gallia 20-0. That looming 20-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.
Leah Rader
| 04/02/25 vs South Gallia | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Chesapeake | 1 |
| 05/08/24 vs Trimble | 1 |
| 03/27/24 @ South Gallia | 1 |
Leah Rader made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Jaidyn McCleese and Libby Poorman did most of the damage at the plate: McCleese scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances, while Poorman went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most hits Poorman has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Lydia Park, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Eastern always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .763. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Clay took on Green on Wednesday. The Panthers were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over the Bobcats. The Panthers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Laney Shepherd made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Shepherd was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elin Shaw, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Lynsey Loop was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
The win made it two in a row for Eastern and bumps their season record up to 3-2. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 2 run in those games. As for Clay, their record now sits at 2-3.
Clay's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Eastern has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .607. It's a different story for Clay, though, as they've only averaged .331. Will they be able to contain Eastern's hitters?
Eastern beat Clay 5-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
