Augusta is 1-9 against Blair-Taylor since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Beavers will venture away from home to take on the Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Augusta is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Augusta came up short against Stanley-Boyd on Tuesday, falling 10-1. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Beavers, who until this contest were averaging 3.09 runs allowed.
Laney O'Brien
| 05/19/26 vs Stanley-Boyd | 9 |
| 05/14/26 @ Whitehall | 8 |
| 05/12/26 vs Osseo-Fairchild | 10 |
| 05/09/26 vs Grantsburg | 7 |
| 05/08/26 vs Independence/Gilmanton | 13 |
| + 8 more games |
Laney O'Brien spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and seven unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 13 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Augusta saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cecelia Schroeder, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Blair-Taylor waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came out on top against the Cardinals by a score of 5-1. Five seems to be a good number for the Wildcats as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Blair-Taylor also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Andrea Aleckson gave up only one earned run on four hits and racked up 14 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Avery Peterson, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. Emma Wathke also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Blair-Taylor's win bumped their record up to 17-3. As for Augusta, their loss dropped their record down to 17-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Augusta has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Blair-Taylor struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Augusta came out on top in a nail-biter against Blair-Taylor in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Beavers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
