Rockvale will head out to face off against the Stewarts Creek Red Hawks at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Rockvale will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
On Thursday, Rockvale didn't have quite enough to beat Lipscomb Academy and fell 7-6.
Mallory Goates was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabi Lyons, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Stewarts Creek waltzed into their match on Thursday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They were the clear victors by a 12-3 margin over the Bulldogs. The Red Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by six runs or more this season.
Jadyn Brawley and Samya Sandifer made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Brawley pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Sandifer pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Brawley has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Brawley went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Sandifer went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most hits Brawley has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Stewarts Creek got a big performance out of Kloe Quigle, who went 3-for-5 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Alayna Wilson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Stewarts Creek was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .475. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .367 or higher in three consecutive games.
Stewarts Creek's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-5-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Rockvale, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost nine of their last ten matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season.
Rockvale came out on top in a nail-biter against Stewarts Creek when the teams last played back in March of 2022, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rockvale since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
