The Braden River Pirates are taking a road trip to square off against the Cardinal Mooney Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with eight losses in a row, Braden River turned things around against Bayshore on Monday. They never let the Bruins get on the board and left with an 18-0 victory. Considering the Pirates' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Seleighna Elizondo made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Elizondo was also solid in the batter's box, earning one RBI, three runs, and two stolen bases. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
Leighton Paul
| 04/21/25 vs Bayshore | 3 |
| 03/31/25 @ Palmetto | 2 |
| 02/18/25 vs Southeast | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Palmetto | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs DeSoto County | 1 |
In other batting news, Braden River got a massive performance out of Leighton Paul, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one double. Those three stolen bases gave Paul a new career-high. Chloe Russell also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Braden River always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Tuesday Cardinal Mooney sidestepped Southwest Florida Christian for a 5-3 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Kaitlyn Will spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Olivia Lockhart was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Proffitt, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Cardinal Mooney's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Braden River, their record now sits at 4-17.
Braden River might still be hurting after the 11-3 defeat they got from Cardinal Mooney when the teams last played back in March. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
