Hartsville is 8-2 against Darlington since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Hartsville Red Foxes will host the Darlington Falcons at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Hartsville 2.4, Darlington 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Darlington's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Wednesday: Hartsville hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. Hartsville didn't even let Crestwood on the board on Monday, marking Hartsville's second-straight 18-0 shutout. Considering the Red Foxes have won six contests by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Allie Bailey looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
Mary Ellen Hickey
| 03/17/25 @ Crestwood | 4 |
| 03/12/24 @ Myrtle Beach | 3 |
| 02/25/25 @ Cheraw | 2 |
| 05/04/24 @ James Island | 2 |
| 04/19/24 @ Wilson | 2 |
On the hitting side, Mary Ellen Hickey was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Jaysha McCullough, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Hartsville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .700. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 11 runs the game before, Darlington was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They fell just short of South Florence by a score of 3-2. The Falcons have struggled against the Bruins recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost meetings.
Darlington saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carly Gainey, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Hartsville's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Darlington, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
Both Hartsville and Darlington just can't seem to miss. Hartsville has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9 hits per game. However, it's not like Darlington struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Hartsville's way against Darlington in their previous matchup last Saturday, as Hartsville made off with a 10-3 victory. Will Hartsville repeat their success, or does Darlington have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
