Softball Game Preview: Wellston Golden Rockets vs. Wheelersburg Pirates

The Wellston Golden Rockets will challenge the Wheelersburg Pirates at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Wellston 1.2, Wheelersburg 0.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Wellston's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over Tuscarawas Valley. Considering the Golden Rockets have won 16 games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Hannah Potts

Batters Struck Out

05/28/25 vs Tuscarawas Valley	8
05/22/25 vs Northwest	17
05/20/25 vs Southeastern	16
05/13/25 vs Fairland	12
05/09/25 @ Meigs	15
+ 11 more games

Hannah Potts was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lyla Pittenger, who went 4-for-5 with eight RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Maddie Childers was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run.

Wellston kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tuscarawas Valley only managed three hits.

Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Wheelersburg had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Redstreaks by a score of 6-1. The Pirates' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.

Wellston has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-3 record this season. As for Wheelersburg, their record now sits at 25-0.

Wellston came up short against Wheelersburg when the teams last played back in May of 2023, falling 9-6. Can the Golden Rockets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.