Elks
| 05/23/25 vs Traverse City Central | 7 |
| 05/22/25 @ Charlevoix | 17 |
| 05/22/25 @ Charlevoix | 29 |
| 05/15/25 @ Grayling | 1 |
| 05/15/25 @ Grayling | 12 |
| + 26 more games |
The Elk Rapids Elks are taking a road trip to square off against the Buckley Bears at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Elk Rapids is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.4 runs per game this season.
Elk Rapids fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Traverse City Central on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Trojans by a score of 8-7.
Coraline Rainey put in work no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Rainey was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Brooke Fluty made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Rhielynn Skrocki, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Buckley came tearing into Thursday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Rangers as they made off with a 14-1 win. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by six runs or more this season.
Maddi Sladek was excellent, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Maddie Chilson was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Buckley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive games.
Buckley pushed their record up to 11-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.4 runs over those games. As for Elk Rapids, their defeat ended an 11-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 26-5.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Elk Rapids hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .396. However, it's not like Buckley struggles in that department as they've averaged .319. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
