Softball Game Preview: Sylacauga Aggies vs. Valley Rams

The Sylacauga Aggies will square off against the Valley Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Sylacauga has three straight victories, Valley has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Eight must be Sylacauga's lucky number: they beat Briarwood Christian with that score not once but twice on Tuesday. The Aggies blew past the Lions 8-2.

Natalee Deason spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. Those hits marked the first that she allowed this season.

Kinley Hathcock

Hits (Career)

04/08/25 @ Briarwood Christian	3
04/01/25 vs Central of Clay County	2
03/21/25 @ Fayetteville	2
02/20/25 vs Benjamin Russell	2
04/03/25 @ Shelby County	1

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kinley Hathcock, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Sophie Harshberger was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.

Hathcock wasn't the only one making solid contact: Sylacauga kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Valley's offense. They lost 7-0 to Horseshoe Bend on Wednesday.

Sylacauga's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-14. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-15.

Sylacauga was able to grind out a solid win over Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 3-0. Will the Aggies repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.