Western had lost five straight at home dating back to last season, but on Monday they dropped down to 0-3 to make it six. They came up short against the Clay Panthers, falling 22-1. If the Indians were looking for revenge after losing 8-1 to the Panthers when the teams met back in May of 2025, then they'll just have to keep looking.
As for Clay, their record is now 5-1. The matchup marked their most dominant win of the season so far.
For Clay's part, Elin Shaw made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Shaw has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2025.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Heidi Smith, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, five runs, and three RBI. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.3 runs per game. Mia Lunsford also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Coming up, Western will be playing in front of their home fans against Huntington at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Indians' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Huntsmen have averaged an impressive 8.2 runs per game this season. As for Clay, they will head out on the road to face off against Southeastern at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Clay 3.2, Southeastern 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
