The Independence Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Columbia Central Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Independence will be strutting in after a win while Columbia Central will be coming in after a loss.
Independence not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 24th. They blew past Franklin 8-2. The victory continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Admirals: they've now won four in a row.
Brylie Waechter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Piper Johnson
| 04/09/25 vs Franklin | 3 |
| 03/25/25 vs Ravenwood | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ Lawson | 2 |
| 03/18/25 @ Franklin | 2 |
| 04/16/24 @ Brentwood | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Piper Johnson, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Kerrigan Riebe was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Independence hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Franklin struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Columbia Central's offense. They fell 4-0 to Coffee County Central on Thursday. The Lions haven't had much luck with the Red Raiders recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Columbia Central also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Bailey Lovell gave up just two earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
Independence now has a winning record of 10-9. As for Columbia Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Independence hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Columbia Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
