Softball Recap: Belfry Comes Up Short

Belfry had lost three straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 8-6 to make it four. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Letcher County Central Cougars. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Pirates of the 8-7 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.

As for Letcher County Central, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 9-8. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games.

For Letcher County Central's part, Scarlett Stamper spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits and racked up six Ks. Stamper has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Katie Combs, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Addison Collier was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.

Coming up, Belfry will challenge Clay County at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Pirates are facing the Tigers at the right time seeing as the Tigers are stuck on a three-game losing streak. Letcher County Central has already played their next match (against Harlan), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.