Softball Recap: West Iredell Comes Up Short

West Iredell extended their losing streak to six on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 4-12 in the process. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the St. Stephens Indians. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Indians this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 12-2 on Monday.

Taylor Stikeleather put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned (and six unearned) runs off seven hits. Stikeleather was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Stikeleather wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sam Johnson, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

As for St. Stephens, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-11 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games.

Like West Iredell, St. Stephens also got a great game from a two-way player: Anicka McFarland. On the mound, she struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. McFarland has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.

As of now, neither West Iredell nor St. Stephens have any future games scheduled.