The Shawnee Braves will challenge the Bellefontaine Chieftains at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. Shawnee is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Shawnee took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They blew past Graham Local 13-1. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Ava George
| 05/07/25 vs Graham Local | 3 |
| 04/16/25 @ Northwestern | 2 |
| 03/31/25 @ Versailles | 2 |
| 05/02/25 vs Russia | 1 |
| 05/02/25 @ Minster | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Ava George, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Maura Simpson was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Shawnee always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .607. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Bellefontaine came up short against London on Wednesday, falling 9-3. The Chieftains have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Shawnee's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Bellefontaine, their loss dropped their record down to 6-12.
Bellefontaine's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Shawnee has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Bellefontaine, though, as they've been averaging only 4.2 strikeouts. Will Shawnee keep running through batters, or will the Chieftains buck the trend?
Shawnee was able to grind out a solid victory over Bellefontaine when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 8-4. Will the Braves repeat their success, or do the Chieftains have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
