The Bryan Golden Bears will face off against the Lexington Minutemen at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bryan comes in on six and Lexington on five.
Bryan is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over West Geauga.
Thea Staten
| 05/28/25 vs West Geauga | 16 |
| 05/24/25 vs Memorial | 15 |
| 05/22/25 vs Bath | 18 |
| 05/08/25 @ Otsego | 17 |
| 05/06/25 @ Hicksville | 17 |
| + 14 more games |
Thea Staten made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 19 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one RBI.
Staten wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was MacKenzie Blevins, who went 2-for-3 with one double. That's the most hits Blevins has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Lexington made easy work of Lake on Wednesday and carried off a 9-1 victory. The Minutemen might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 18 games by six runs or more this season.
Like Bryan, Lexington also got a great game from a two-way player: Makaree Chapman. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Chapman was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Quinn Patrick and Alexis Cantrell did most of the damage at the plate: Patrick got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs, while Cantrell went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Kylie Thornton was another key player, going 1-for-5 with three RBI and one double.
Bryan's win bumped their record up to 17-4. As for Lexington, their victory bumped their record up to 24-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bryan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lexington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bryan was able to grind out a solid win over Lexington in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 4-1. Will the Golden Bears repeat their success, or do the Minutemen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
