Softball Recap: Thursday's Win Is Wayne's Sixth in Last Eight Outings

Pioneers

Margin (Wins)

05/01/25 @ Poca	13
04/01/25 @ Ripley	9
03/21/25 @ Nitro	9
04/22/25 vs Ripley	8
04/14/25 vs Poca	8

Wayne hadn't done well against Poca recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Pioneers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Dots a 13-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Pioneers, who have now won six contests by seven runs or more so far this season.

Kaliah Merritt was a major factor no matter where she played. She tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI.

In other batting news, Kylee Copley and Courtney Thompson did most of the damage at the plate: Copley got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Thompson went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave Thompson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lexi Napier, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Wayne kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 5-1 when they post 11 or more hits.

Wayne has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Poca, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-9.

Wayne does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Poca, they will face off against Sissonville at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Dots are facing the Indians at the right time seeing as the Indians are stuck on a three-game losing streak.