Softball Game Preview: Pender Patriots vs. Fairmont Golden Tornadoes

The Pender Patriots will venture away from home to take on the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pender knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Fairmont likes a good challenge.

Last Monday, Pender got the win against Hobbton by a conclusive 12-2. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won eight games by ten runs or more so far this season.

Alyna Rooks spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on six hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.

Jayda Tozour

Stolen Base

03/31/25 vs Hobbton	1
03/27/25 @ East Bladen	1
03/25/25 vs East Bladen	3

At the plate, Jayda Tozour was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Charleigh Rivenbark, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.

Pender always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .590. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hobbton only posted an OBP of .240.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 16 runs the game before, Fairmont was a bit more limited in their matchup on Tuesday. They came up short against Midway, falling 12-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Golden Tornadoes in their meetings with the Raiders: they've now lost six in a row.

Pender has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Fairmont, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-6.

Pender came out on top in a nail-biter against Fairmont in their previous matchup two weeks ago, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.