Softball Recap: Happy Valley Comes Up Short

Happy Valley extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to 16 on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 0-14 in the process. They came up short against the Hampton Bulldogs, falling 13-3. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Bulldogs this season, with their most recent defeat being a 13-2 loss two weeks ago.

As for Hampton, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-13. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 5 runs in those games.

For Hampton's part, Briley Davis made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off 11 hits. That's the most strikeouts Davis has posted over her last ten matchups. She was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI. That triple was her first of the season.

In other batting news, Hadley Vines and Hannah Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Vines went 4-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and one double, while Smith went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Those four hits gave Vines a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Malory Lamb, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.

Coming up, Happy Valley will challenge Elizabethton at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Hampton, they will venture away from home to face off against University School at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.