The Ooltewah Owls will head out on the road to square off against the Hixson Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Ooltewah is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last eight games.
It was a Battle of the Birds when Ooltewah challenged Signal Mountain on Wednesday. The Owls were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over the Eagles. Considering the Owls have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jaeda Tucker
| 04/02/25 @ Signal Mountain | 0 |
| 03/28/25 vs Marion County | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Sale Creek | 1 |
| 03/22/25 vs Tellico Plains | 2 |
Jaeda Tucker was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hailey Schmidt, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Lilli Newell, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Ooltewah always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Signal Mountain only posted an OBP of .250.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hixson, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand East Ridge an 11-0 shutout on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Pioneers: they've now won six in a row.
Chloe Turner was excellent, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Robinson, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Hixson's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-8. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Ooltewah, their record now sits at 14-3.
Ooltewah might still be hurting after the 17-1 defeat they got from Hixson when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Can the Owls avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
