The Byron Bears are taking a road trip to square off against the Dover-Eyota Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Byron was able to grind out a solid victory over Lourdes, taking the game 8-3. The Bears haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Mackenzie Steele made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Steele was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2025.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaydence Fjerstad, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Hattie Mathre was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Dover-Eyota duked it out with Wabasha-Kellogg on Tuesday. The Eagles put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 19-6 victory.
Like Byron, Dover-Eyota also got a great game from a two-way player: Aubrey Foster. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. Foster was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Olivea Banitt was a standout: she got on base in three of her six plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Nora Hansen, who got on base in five of her six plate appearances with three RBI and one run.
Byron now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Dover-Eyota, the win got them back to even at 1-1.
Byron might still be hurting after the 14-2 loss they got from Dover-Eyota when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
