Ooltewah and Cleveland are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Owls will be playing at home against the Blue Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Ooltewah is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Ooltewah barely beat Oak Ridge the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Owls were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Wildcats on Saturday. The result was nothing new for the Owls, who have now won 13 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Jaeda Tucker made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Addilyn Watts
| 04/05/25 vs Oak Ridge | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Signal Mountain | 2 |
| 03/31/25 @ Notre Dame | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Tyner Academy | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Sale Creek | 2 |
In other batting news, Ooltewah let Addilyn Watts and Emmerson Reed run wild. Watts scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Reed scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Those three hits gave Watts a new career-high. Katelyn Gelbaugh was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
Ooltewah was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oak Ridge only posted a batting average of .167.
Meanwhile, Cleveland lost 10-1 to Baylor on Thursday. The Blue Raiders haven't had much luck with the Red Raiders recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Cleveland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landri Nelson, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Sofia Greene also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Ooltewah is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Cleveland, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-10.
Cleveland's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Ooltewah has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Cleveland, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Ooltewah keep running through batters, or will the Blue Raiders buck the trend?
Ooltewah suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Cleveland in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Will the Owls have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
