Softball Game Preview: Ware Shoals Hornets vs. Emerald Vikings

The Ware Shoals Hornets will venture away from home to square off against the Emerald Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Ware Shoals is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10 runs per game this season.

Ware Shoals came out on top against Abbeville on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run fifth inning. The Hornets skirted past the Panthers 6-5.

Stella Eichhorn

Batters Struck Out

04/28/25 @ Abbeville	8
04/22/25 @ Whitmire	10
04/17/25 @ Thornwell	11
04/15/25 @ Dixie	10
04/04/25 vs Thornwell	9
+ 2 more games

Stella Eichhorn made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Eichhorn wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sarah Vinson, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one triple. Another was Bella Davis, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.

Meanwhile, Emerald was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They came up short against Abbeville, falling 16-0.

Ware Shoals is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Emerald, their loss dropped their record down to 2-13.

Emerald's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Ware Shoals has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Emerald, though, as they've been averaging only 1.9 strikeouts. Will Ware Shoals keep running through batters, or will the Vikings buck the trend?

Everything went Ware Shoals' way against Emerald in their previous matchup back in April, as Ware Shoals made off with an 18-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.