The Antwerp Archers are taking a road trip to take on the Ayersville Pilots at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Antwerp has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Ayersville will arrive with ten straight victories.
On Monday, Antwerp came up short against Montpelier and fell 6-1.
Antwerp saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Elle Clem, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Clem has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Ayersville got the win against Kalida on Monday by a conclusive 15-5. Considering the Pilots have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Kendra Waldron made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over 4.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and one triple. That's the most runs she has posted since April 1st.
In other batting news, Daniella Coble was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylan Becher, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Ayersville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in five consecutive games.
Ayersville pushed their record up to 11-4 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Antwerp, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Antwerp has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ayersville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Antwerp might still be hurting after the 10-1 loss they got from Ayersville in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Archers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
