Softball Game Preview: Paintsville Tigers vs. Russell Red Devils

The Paintsville Tigers will venture away from home to take on the Russell Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

Paintsville came up short against Pike County Central on Tuesday, falling 8-2.

Paintsville saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kira Ratliff, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Blazer hit Russell with a nine-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Red Devils lost 10-0 to the Tomcats.

Paintsville dropped their record down to 10-14 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Russell, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-15 record this season.

Russell's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Paintsville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Russell, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Paintsville keep running through batters, or will the Red Devils buck the trend?

Paintsville suffered a grim 13-5 defeat to Russell in their previous matchup back in April of 2022. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.