Softball Recap: Orange County Comes Up Short

Orange County had lost three straight at home, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 6-4 to make it four. They fell just short of the Riverbend Bears by a score of 4-3. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Bears this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 4-2 back in March.

As for Riverbend, the win (which was their tenth in a row) raised their record to 12-3. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games.

For Riverbend's part, Chloe King made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). King was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emma Smith, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Jameson Snell, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

Orange County and Riverbend should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Virginia Rankings. The Fighting Hornets (ranked 117th) will meet Charlottesville (ranked 313th) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Riverbend will take on Courtland at 4:30 p.m. on Monday with a big rank advantage (85 vs. 241).