The Fairview Aggies will venture away from home to square off against the Falkville Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Fairview has given up an average of 6.5 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Fairview is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Scottsboro just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Thursday. They came up short against the Wildcats, falling 19-2. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Aggies couldn't push the score so high this time.
Fairview saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ayda Payne, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that Payne launched this season.
Even though they lost, Fairview hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most two strikeouts in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Falkville). They put the hurt on Tanner with a sharp 17-0 win on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Hope McClanahan was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over 4.1 innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Falkville got a massive performance out of Lily Slayton, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Melody Sims was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
With the win, Falkville broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 3-5. As for Fairview, their loss dropped their record down to 8-7.
Everything went Fairview's way against Falkville in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as Fairview made off with a 9-0 victory. Does Fairview have another victory up their sleeve, or will Falkville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
