The Watauga Pioneers are taking a road trip to challenge the Ashe County Huskies at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Watauga came out on top against North Iredell on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run sixth inning. The Pioneers walked away with a 7-2 victory over the Raiders. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Pioneers.
Katie Matheson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off 11 hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two doubles.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Wilson, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-3. That's the most home runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Julie Matheson was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one double.
Watauga was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Ashe County had just enough and edged out East Gaston 12-10 on Wednesday.
Like Watauga, Ashe County also got a great game from a two-way player: Maleah Lovell. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Lovell has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Isabella Farmer was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Caitlin Wood also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Ashe County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Watauga, their record now sits at 5-14.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Watauga hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Ashe County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Watauga couldn't quite get it done against Ashe County in their previous meeting last Thursday as they fell 10-6. Can the Pioneers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
