The Charleston Trojans will head out on the road to take on the Mt. Zion Braves at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Charleston was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Paris on Wednesday. The Trojans were the clear victors by a 17-7 margin over the Tigers. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Lainie Keefer
| 05/07/25 vs Paris | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Altamont | 1 |
| 04/11/25 @ Centennial | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ St. Anthony | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Flora | 1 |
Charleston got a massive performance out of Lainie Keefer, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. Those two stolen bases gave Keefer a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubrey Hunter, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Mt. Zion, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They never let Lincoln get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Braves considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Ella Fink made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.
In other batting news, Avelyn Ethell was excellent, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs. Another player making a difference was Savannah Beiler, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Mt. Zion has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Charleston, their record now sits at 13-8.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Charleston hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .359. However, it's not like Mt. Zion struggles in that department as they've averaged .388. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Charleston couldn't quite get it done against Mt. Zion when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 13-10. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
