Softball Game Preview: Rock Hill Redmen vs. Portsmouth Trojans

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Previous Games

04/16/25 - Away	6-7 L
05/01/24 - Away	4-3 W
04/15/24 - Home	5-4 W
04/19/23 - Away	9-10 L
04/03/23 - Home	2-9 L
+ 5 more games

Rock Hill and Portsmouth are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Redmen will host the Trojans at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Portsmouth will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Rock Hill extended their winning streak to four on Wednesday. The Redmen came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against Fairland. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Redmen have posted against the Dragons since April 22, 2022.

Portsmouth came out on top against Gallia Academy on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run sixth inning. The Trojans sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over the Blue Devils. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Blue Devils recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Katie Ankrom was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Karlee Galloway, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Bailey Waughtel was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Portsmouth kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 6-1 when they post 11 or more hits.

Rock Hill's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-9. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Portsmouth, their win bumped their record up to 8-11.