The Ballard Bruins will be playing in front of their home fans against the Male Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Ballard: 2.9, Male: 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Ballard is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Kentucky's top teams: Bullitt East, who was ranked 18th in their home state at the time (Ballard was ranked eighth). Ballard took a 6-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Bullitt East on Wednesday. It was the first time this season that Ballard let down their fans at home.
Rylee Carter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and four unearned) runs on nine hits.
At the plate, Ballard saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mikayla Milby, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Male put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They blew past DuPont Manual 10-2.
Male also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Hannah Wright gave up only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up seven Ks. Wright has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Lily Jones was a standout: she went 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Joseslyn Woosley, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.
Ballard's defeat ended a 20-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 10-2. As for Male, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-5.
Ballard skirted past Male 8-7 in their previous meeting back in May of 2022. Does Ballard have another victory up their sleeve, or will Male turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
