Softball Game Preview: Hazard Bulldogs / Lady Bulldogs vs. Shelby Valley Wildcats

The Hazard Bulldogs / Lady Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the Shelby Valley Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hazard is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.

Hazard's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Pike County Central with a sharp 11-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs / Lady Bulldogs.

Peyton Fields

Batters Struck Out

05/01/25 vs Pike County Central	8
04/25/25 @ Corbin	7
04/22/25 @ Johnson Central	7
04/19/25 vs Pineville	12
04/17/25 @ Knott County Central	11

Peyton Fields was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Halle Jones, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Addyson Maggard also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Hazard kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Tug Valley hit Shelby Valley with a five-run second inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wildcats fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 11-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Wildcats have suffered since April 26, 2024.

Hazard pushed their record up to 12-7 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Shelby Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 7-13.

Everything went Hazard's way against Shelby Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2015, as Hazard made off with a 16-2 victory. Will the Bulldogs / Lady Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.