The Matoaca Warriors will face off against the Varina Blue Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Matoaca has 13 straight victories, Varina has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Varina's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Friday: Matoaca hadn't allowed a single run the last five times they've hit the field. The Warriors never let Thomas Dale get on the board and left with an 8-0 win on Thursday. Considering the Warriors have won 14 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Kaylee Hodges
| 05/14/26 vs Thomas Dale | 2 |
| 05/12/26 @ Colonial Heights | 1 |
| 05/08/26 vs Prince George | 1 |
| 04/28/26 vs Meadowbrook | 1 |
| 04/27/26 @ J.R. Tucker | 1 |
Kaylee Hodges made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up a single earned run in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Raven Crabtree was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Hayden Longacre, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Matoaca hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least one batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Varina scored first but ultimately less than Hermitage in their contest on Thursday. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 10-9.
Julia Anderson and Rylee Geer stepped up to the plate in a big way. Anderson went 3-for-5 with six RBI and one double, while Geer got on base in all five of her plate appearances with five runs and one stolen base.
Varina's defeat dropped their record down to 6-9. As for Matoaca, their victory bumped their record up to 17-1.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Matoaca has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .477. However, it's not like Varina struggles in that department as they've averaged .637. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Matoaca's way against Varina when the teams last played back in March of 2022, as Matoaca made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Blue Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
