Softball Game Preview: Orleans Bulldogs vs. Eastern Greene Thunderbirds

Bulldogs

Runs

05/17/25 @ New Albany	1
05/17/25 @ New Albany	11
05/14/25 @ Bloomfield	3
05/13/25 @ Barr-Reeve	1
05/12/25 @ North Daviess	6
+ 17 more games

The Orleans Bulldogs will square off against the Eastern Greene Thunderbirds at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Orleans is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.

Orleans is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 11 runs on Saturday, they were much more limited against New Albany on Saturday. They lost 7-1 to New Albany.

Orleans saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Elizabeth Mahan, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Maddy Spires also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Eminence hit Eastern Greene with a seven-run third inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Thunderbirds took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Eels. The Thunderbirds haven't had much luck with the Eels recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Charley Paurazas put in work no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

In other batting news, Ashlynn Bellman made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Grace Deckard was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

Orleans has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 16-6 record this season. As for Eastern Greene, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.

Orleans beat Eastern Greene 5-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Thunderbirds have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.