The Waverly Tigers will square off against the Westfall Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Waverly has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with four straight losses, while Westfall will come in with three straight wins.
Waverly fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Valley on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Indians by a score of 6-5.
Lexi Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Waverly saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Whitley Brown, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Westfall). They were the clear victors by a 16-4 margin over Paint Valley on Monday.
Adrina Hicks made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hicks was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Jill Butcher and Joni Snyder did most of the damage at the plate: Butcher went 2-for-5 with three runs and one RBI, while Snyder went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most runs Butcher has posted since back in May of 2024. Anna Snyder was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Westfall kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are 5-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Westfall's victory bumped their record up to 9-6. As for Waverly, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Waverly has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Westfall struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
