Softball Preview: Barnesville Shamrocks vs. Martins Ferry Purple Riders
Barnesville is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Martins Ferry is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Barnesville Shamrocks will take on the Martins Ferry Purple Riders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Barnesville will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Shadyside on Wednesday. Barnesville put the hurt on Shadyside with a sharp 14-2 win.
Meanwhile, everything went Martins Ferry's way against Buckeye Local on Thursday as Martins Ferry made off with a 12-1 victory.
Maddie Lucas was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. Lucas has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances. Lucas was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, a triple, and a run.
In other batting news, Danielle Lude and Gracie Lucas did most of the damage at the plate: Lude went 4-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and a triple, while Lucas scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Averie Hughes was another key contributor, going 2-for-2 with three RBI.
Barnesville's win bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Martins Ferry, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season.
Barnesville might still be hurting after the 13-7 loss they got from Martins Ferry in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Will Barnesville have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
