The Martin County Gators will challenge the Eastern Wayne Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Martin County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Fairmont get on the board and left with an 8-0 win.
Not much got past Erica Sturgill, who gave up just a hit to keep Fairmont off the board.
At the plate, Izzy Williams was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Harmony Hoo was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Eastern Wayne had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.9 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Tuesday. They put the hurt on J.F. Webb with a sharp 15-0 victory. That 15 run margin sets a new team best for Eastern Wayne this season.
Mallory Reed made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Eastern Wayne let Arianna Harvey and Hannah Lee run wild. Harvey got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Lee got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Kerintun Kinley, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Eastern Wayne always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Eastern Wayne's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.6 runs on average over those games. As for Martin County, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups. That somehow still isn't as good as their 20-4 record this season.
Both Martin County and Eastern Wayne just can't seem to miss. The Gators have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. However, it's not like Eastern Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 1.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
