Softball Game Preview: Fairmont Golden Tornadoes vs. Pender Patriots

The Fairmont Golden Tornadoes will challenge the Pender Patriots at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Fairmont has given up an average of 8.1 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Fairmont is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 16 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Midway on Tuesday. They lost 12-2 to the Raiders. The Golden Tornadoes haven't had much luck with the Raiders recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.

Meanwhile, Pender waltzed into their matchup on Monday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past the Wildcats 12-2. That's two games straight that the Patriots have won by exactly ten runs.

Alyna Rooks spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on six hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Jayda Tozour was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Charleigh Rivenbark, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.

Pender hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four strikeouts batters in seven consecutive games.

Pender's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Fairmont, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-6.