The Bellbrook Golden Eagles will venture away from home to take on the Edgewood Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Bellbrook needed a bit of extra time to put away Valley View. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 win over the Spartans. The Golden Eagles haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Lauren Nicholson
| 04/09/26 vs Valley View | 12 |
| 04/08/26 vs Edgewood | 6 |
| 04/07/26 @ Oakwood | 10 |
Lauren Nicholson spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Bellbrook saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tori Markland, who went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Aleina Powell was another, going 2-for-4 with one run.
Bellbrook hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Edgewood got the win against Bellbrook on Wednesday by a conclusive 13-1. Considering the Cougars have won three matchups by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jaycie Broshear made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Broshear was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Madison Ferrell was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with five runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Evie Short also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
The win got Edgewood back to even at 5-5. As for Bellbrook, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bellbrook has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Edgewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bellbrook suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Edgewood in their previous matchup on Wednesday. Can the Golden Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
