The Rowan County Vikings will face off against the Dixie Heights Colonels at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Rowan County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Rowan County will bounce into Saturday's contest after beating Raceland, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Vikings came out on top against the Rams by a score of 7-4 on Wednesday.
Kassi Perkins was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Perkins was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, Lauryn Eastham was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Ryleigh Howard was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Dixie Heights, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They never let Lloyd Memorial get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Colonels considering their two-run performance the game before.
Like Rowan County, Dixie Heights also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Niemer. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Niemer was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Dixie Heights let Emma Burford and Ashlyn McHargue run wild. Burford went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double, while McHargue went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave McHargue a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Madison Skees, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Dixie Heights always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .636. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lloyd Memorial only posted an OBP of .273.
Rowan County has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Dixie Heights, their victory bumped their record up to 7-8.
Dixie Heights' hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Rowan County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Dixie Heights, though, as they've been averaging only 2.7 strikeouts. Will Rowan County keep running through batters, or will the Colonels buck the trend?
Everything went Rowan County's way against Dixie Heights in their previous matchup back in May of 2025, as Rowan County made off with a 12-2 win. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Colonels turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
