The Hudson Explorers will face off against the Nordonia Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hudson is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Hudson's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Firestone as they made off with a 12-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Explorers.
Claire Eland was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over 4.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Shawna Baylor
| 05/07/25 @ Firestone | 3 |
| 05/05/25 vs Stow-Munroe Falls | 2 |
| 04/29/25 @ Cuyahoga Falls | 2 |
| 04/12/25 vs Howland | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Streetsboro | 2 |
In other batting news, Hudson let Shawna Baylor and Corinne Stearns run wild. Baylor went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Stearns went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Those three hits gave Baylor a new career-high. Gianna Pirtle was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Hudson lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
North Royalton hit Nordonia with a four-run fourth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Knights came up short against the Bears, falling 10-2. The Knights have struggled against the Bears recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Nordonia saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Haydn Paul, who went 2-for-4 with one run.
Nordonia's loss dropped their record down to 5-10. As for Hudson, their win bumped their record up to 4-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Hudson hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Nordonia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hudson couldn't quite get it done against Nordonia in their previous meeting back in April as they fell 14-11. Will the Explorers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
