Shawnee hasn't had much luck against Kenton Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Braves will head out to face off against the Cougars at 5:15 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Wednesday, Shawnee earned a 7-4 victory over Northwestern. The win continues a trend for the Braves in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won five in a row.
Blake Bowen was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Bowen was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
In other batting news, Caden Wallace was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That RBI marked the first that he has brought in this season. Joey Ross was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Kenton Ridge had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They walked away with a 4-1 victory over the Raiders.
Zach Deel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jake Beard, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Jakob Groeschel, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Kenton Ridge's record is now 8-3. As for Shawnee, the win was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 3-6.
Shawnee couldn't quite finish off Kenton Ridge in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Braves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
