Softball Game Preview: Bradley Central Bears vs. Cleveland Blue Raiders

Bradley Central is 1-9 against Cleveland since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Blue Raiders at 5:00 p.m. Bradley Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.

Bradley Central took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with an 8-4 victory over Hixson. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Bears as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Alliyssia Herbold

Runs (Career)

04/15/25 vs Hixson	4
03/21/24 vs McMinn County	3
03/18/25 vs Red Bank	2
03/03/25 vs Girls Prep	2
05/01/24 vs Whitwell	2

Alliyssia Herbold was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tori Cagle, who scored a run while going 4-for-4.

Bradley Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hixson only posted a batting average of .296.

Meanwhile, Cleveland waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They skirted past the Golden Eagles 3-1.

Huntlee Dennison spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up ten Ks.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brylee Cisco, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Aspen Tipton-Williams also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Cleveland pushed their record up to 11-11 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Bradley Central, their record is now 11-14-1.

Bradley Central suffered a grim 8-0 defeat to Cleveland when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.