Eastern hasn't had much luck against Ballard recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Eagles will take on the Bruins at 6:00 p.m.
Eastern is headed into Wednesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 9-4 to Bullitt East, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Meanwhile, Ballard entered their tilt with Sacred Heart on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Valkyries. Considering the Bruins have won ten contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Shelby James was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Payton Downey was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Emery Schuster, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Ballard always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sacred Heart only posted an OBP of .222.
Ballard pushed their record up to 14-9 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Eastern, their loss dropped their record down to 14-8.
Eastern came out on top in a nail-biter against Ballard in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 7-6. 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.
