The Ballard Bruins will take on the Cooper Jaguars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Ballard will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
On Thursday, Ballard made easy work of Nelson County and carried off an 8-1 victory. Considering the Bruins have won 14 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Jaedyn Lyons and Emery Schuster made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Lyons pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Meanwhile, Schuster pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Lyons has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances. At bat, Lyons went 1-for-2 with two RBI, while Schuster went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Kennedy Gatewood
| 05/15/25 vs Nelson County | 4 |
| 05/14/25 @ North Oldham | 1 |
| 05/10/25 @ Henry County | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Atherton | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Sacred Heart | 1 |
In other batting news, Kennedy Gatewood was excellent, earning two runs and four stolen bases. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubrie Newton, who earned two runs and two stolen bases.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Cooper and Campbell County, and Campbell County kept the tradition alive. The Jaguars fell just short of the Camels by a score of 9-8 on Thursday. That's two games in a row now that the Jaguars have lost by just one run.
Kinley (KJ) Johnson and Kat Furnish did some serious damage despite the final result: Johnson went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Furnish went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Ballard pushed their record up to 20-11 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Cooper, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-24 record this season.
Cooper's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Ballard has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Cooper, though, as they've been averaging only 2 strikeouts. Will Ballard keep running through batters, or will the Jaguars buck the trend?
Ballard skirted past Cooper 1-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2022. Do the Bruins have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Jaguars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
