The Avery Bulldogs will square off against the Brookeland Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Avery is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Bloomburg 16-15. 16 seems to be a good number for the Bulldogs as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Adalynn Hillis spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and 12 unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up seven Ks.
Alysa Strength
| 05/09/25 vs Bloomburg | 3 |
| 03/13/25 vs Bloomburg | 2 |
| 02/22/25 vs Campbell | 2 |
| 04/15/25 vs Bloomburg | 1 |
On the hitting side, Alysa Strength was incredible, going 3-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Mariah Joubert was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Avery kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Brookeland put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. They never let Broaddus get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. Considering the Wildcats have won 11 matchups by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Paige Powell was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elisabeth Lundquist, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Lakyn Mott, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs.
Brookeland's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Avery, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-13.
