Orleans is a perfect 5-0 against Shoals since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will face off against the Jug Rox at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Orleans has three straight victories, Shoals has 15 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Orleans is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Barr-Reeve, sneaking past 6-5.
Izzie Rutherford spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on 12 hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances.
Ava Cooper
| 05/26/25 vs Barr-Reeve | 1 |
| 05/22/25 vs Bloomington North | 1 |
| 05/21/25 vs Eastern Greene | 1 |
At the plate, Ava Cooper was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Mahan, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Shoals couldn't beat White River Valley on Thursday even though they stacked ten runs on them in the fourth inning. The Jug Rox came up short against the Wolverines, falling 22-11.
Hannah Cook and Hadley Haulk stepped up to the plate in a big way. Cook got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI, while Haulk got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Those runs marked the first that Cook has scored this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Brilyn Chandler, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Orleans' win bumped their record up to 19-6. As for Shoals, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-14.
Shoals' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Orleans hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. It's a different story for Shoals, though, as they've only averaged .249. Will they be able to contain Orleans' hitters?
Orleans was able to grind out a solid victory over Shoals in their previous matchup back in May of 2022, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
