The Coalfield Yellow Jackets will head out to face off against the Rhea County Golden Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Coalfield made up a huge gap compared to their last game against King's Academy, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Coalfield was the clear victor by a 12-1 margin over King's Academy on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since March 17th.
Olivia Laymance spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 13 Ks. What's more, she gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest she's had over her last nine matchups.
On the hitting side, Coalfield got a massive performance out of Lilly Claire Lowe, who scored four runs while going 2-for-3. Lowe also hit a double, marking her first of the season. Gracie Davis was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Coalfield hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, while Rhea County put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Oliver Springs. Rhea County put the hurt on Oliver Springs with a sharp 14-0 win. The Golden Eagles haven't had any issues with the Bobcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Allie Shaver made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 4-for-6. What's more, she posted two doubles, the most she's had since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Lakyn Lockhart was a standout: she scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Landree Brown, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Coalfield's record is now 10-2-1. As for Rhea County, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Coalfield has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .452. However, it's not like Rhea County struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Coalfield couldn't quite finish off Rhea County in their previous matchup back in April of 2015 and fell 6-4. Can Coalfield avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
