Softball Game Preview: Belfry Pirates vs. Russell Red Devils

The Belfry Pirates will head out on the road to square off against the Russell Red Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Belfry's pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Russell's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

On Thursday, Belfry was able to grind out a solid victory over Knott County Central, taking the game 9-4. The Pirates haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Russell, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Paintsville on Thursday as they made off with an 11-1 victory. With that win, the Red Devils brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.

Karson Honaker was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Honaker was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of her three plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gabby Oborne, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Madilynn Hayes also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

Belfry pushed their record up to 14-8 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Russell, their record is now 9-15.

Belfry might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Russell in their previous meeting back in March of 2017. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.