The Shelbyville Golden Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Columbus North Bull Dogs at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, it was close, but Shelbyville sidestepped Delta for an 8-6 victory.
Cheyenne Eads was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Eads has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 19 consecutive pitching appearances. Eads was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Anna Shearer was incredible, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Kali Laycock was another key contributor, going 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Columbus North got themselves on the board against Bloomington South on Thursday, but Bloomington South never followed suit. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Panthers 2-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Columbus North.
The result came thanks to Bailee Scruggs's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kelsey Lovelace, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Shelbyville is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season. As for Columbus North, the victory got them back to even at 9-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Shelbyville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbus North struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Shelbyville beat Columbus North 5-2 when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Does Shelbyville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Columbus North turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
