Softball Game Preview: Charlestown Pirates vs. Jennings County Panthers

The Charlestown Pirates will venture away from home to face off against the Jennings County Panthers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Charlestown will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.

On Thursday, Charlestown got the win against Eastern by a conclusive 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Pirates, who have now won 11 matches by six runs or more so far this season.

Katie Pickerell

Runs

05/15/25 vs Eastern	3
05/13/25 @ Lanesville	1
05/07/25 vs New Washington	2
05/05/25 vs Madison	2
05/01/25 @ Austin	1
+ 4 more games

Katie Pickerell was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April.

Pickerell wasn't the only one working in the home run department: Charlestown lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Floyd Central hit Jennings County with a five-run third inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Panthers lost 13-0 to the Highlanders. The game marked the first time this year in which the Panthers were not able to get on the board.

Charlestown pushed their record up to 14-5 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Jennings County, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-10 record this season.

Jennings County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Charlestown has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Jennings County, though, as they've been averaging 9.9 hits. Given Charlestown's sizable advantage in that area, the Panthers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Charlestown might still be hurting after the 14-5 defeat they got from Jennings County in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.