The Rhea County Golden Eagles will square off against the Coalfield Yellow Jackets at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Rhea County's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Oliver Springs with a sharp 14-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Golden Eagles in their matchups with the Bobcats: they've now won four in a row.
Allie Shaver made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over seven innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in hits (zero). She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 4-for-6. What's more, she posted two doubles, the most she's had since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Lakyn Lockhart was a standout: she scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances. Landree Brown was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Rhea County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .604. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Coalfield hadn't done well against King's Academy recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Coalfield blew past King's Academy 12-1. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Yellow Jackets considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Olivia Laymance spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Coalfield got a massive performance out of Lilly Claire Lowe, who scored four runs while going 2-for-3. Lowe also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Gracie Davis, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
The victory got Rhea County back to even at 6-6. As for Coalfield, their win bumped their record up to 10-2-1.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rhea County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Coalfield struggles in that department as they've averaged .340. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rhea County skirted past Coalfield 6-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2015. Does Rhea County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Coalfield turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
