Softball Game Preview: Wolfe County Wolves vs. Knott County Central Patriots

Wolfe County has won four straight games at home, while Knott County Central has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Wolves will host the Patriots at 6:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

While Wolfe County's victory against Breathitt County wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Wolves won by a run and slipped past the Bobcats 4-3. The Wolves haven't had any issues with the Bobcats recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Chloy Creech was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, Wolfe County let Taylor Sword and Raygen Holbrook run wild. Sword went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double, while Holbrook went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Those three hits gave Sword a new career-high. Sami Noble was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Wolfe County hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Knott County Central narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Prestonsburg 8-7.

Knott County Central is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Wolfe County, their victory bumped their record up to 19-9.

Wolfe County beat Knott County Central 7-3 when the teams last played back in April. Do the Wolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.