The Christiansburg Blue Demons will head out on the road to square off against the Cave Spring Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Christiansburg barely beat William Byrd the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Blue Demons put the hurt on the Terriers with a sharp 12-1 victory on Thursday. The Blue Demons have beaten the Terriers the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Terriers has come to flipping the script.
Aubrey Davis spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on nine hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Addison Reasor was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyleigh Dillard, who fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Cave Spring came tearing into Tuesday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Patriots 11-1.
Madison Steffen made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over six innings pitched. Steffen was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jovie Miller, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Jayden Eanes was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Cave Spring hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 6-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Cave Spring pushed their record up to 10-6 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.4 runs over those games. As for Christiansburg, their record now sits at 10-5.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Christiansburg hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .382. However, it's not like Cave Spring struggles in that department as they've averaged .354. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Christiansburg skirted past Cave Spring 11-10 when the teams last played back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Demons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
