The Indianapolis Shortridge Blue Devils are taking a road trip to challenge Horizon Christian at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Indianapolis Shortridge has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight losses, while Horizon Christian will come in with eight straight wins.
Purdue Polytechnic hit Indianapolis Shortridge with a ten-run sixth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Blue Devils lost 21-5 to the Techies.
Indianapolis Shortridge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aries Smith, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. That hit marked the first that Smith has got this season. Jaeda Scott was another, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
While Horizon Christian didn't have the best season last year (they finished 2-6), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Liberty Christian on Tuesday as they made off with an 11-1 victory. Considering Horizon Christian has won seven matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lucy Long was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abby Brown, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Another player making a difference was Cayden Marshall, who went 1-for-4 with three runs and one RBI.
Horizon Christian pushed their record up to 8-0 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.7 runs over those games. As for Indianapolis Shortridge, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Indianapolis Shortridge has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .573. However, it's not like Horizon Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .587. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Indianapolis Shortridge suffered a grim 19-9 defeat to Horizon Christian when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
