Softball Game Preview: Dudley Panthers vs. Rockingham County Cougars

Dudley hasn't had much luck against Rockingham County recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Panthers will challenge the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Dudley is headed into Wednesday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game on Friday. They lost 20-10 to Ben L. Smith.

Meanwhile, Rockingham County came tearing into Tuesday's contest with 12 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Bison get on the board and left with a 17-0 win. Give the Cougars' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fifth straight shutout.

Ava Grace Pruitt made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, Lily Strittmatter and Macey Hardy did most of the damage at the plate: Strittmatter went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, one triple, and one run, while Hardy scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Those five RBI gave Strittmatter a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Presley Rothe, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.

Rockingham County's victory was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.6 runs on average over those games. As for Dudley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-10.

Dudley might still be hurting after the 16-0 defeat they got from Rockingham County in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.