The Horse Creek Academy Stallions will square off against the Silver Bluff Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Horse Creek Academy's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Ridge Spring-Monetta with a sharp 13-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Stallions sure are getting used to it with their tenth in a row.
Adrien Beak was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up a single earned run in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Allie Stuart, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Halle Puckett was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Horse Creek Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.4 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.4.
Meanwhile, Silver Bluff got the win against Swansea on Friday by a conclusive 15-4. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won three in a row.
Silver Bluff also got a great performance from Ryley Bowman as she struck out nine batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts Bowman has posted since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Silver Bluff let Haeley Bowman and Isabella Kent run wild. Bowman went 3-for-4 with two triples, four RBI, and two runs, while Kent went 2-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave Bowman a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kerington Weathersbee, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Horse Creek Academy's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.7 runs over those games. As for Silver Bluff, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Horse Creek Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .442. However, it's not like Silver Bluff struggles in that department as they've averaged .517. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Horse Creek Academy's way against Silver Bluff when the teams last played back in March, as Horse Creek Academy made off with a 7-1 victory. Will the Stallions repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
