The Clay Panthers will head out on the road to challenge the Oak Hill Oaks at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clay took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington as they made off with a 9-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won four matches by eight runs or more so far this season.
Laney Shepherd made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Sarah Cassidy
| 04/10/25 vs Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington | 3 |
| 05/08/24 vs Whiteoak | 2 |
| 04/24/24 vs East | 2 |
| 04/23/24 @ East | 2 |
| 04/19/24 @ Oak Hill | 2 |
In other batting news, Sarah Cassidy was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Lynsey Loop also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Clay kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Oak Hill made easy work of South Gallia on Wednesday and carried off a 22-5 victory. The Oaks haven't had any issues with the Rebels recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Like Clay, Oak Hill also got a great game from a two-way player: Ellie McCarty. She struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up five earned runs off four hits. McCarty was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Gracie Evans was a standout: she scored three runs and stole three bases while going 5-for-5. Another player making a difference was Charissa Kranitz, who scored four runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-4.
Clay's record now sits at 4-5. As for Oak Hill, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Clay was able to grind out a solid win over Oak Hill in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 8-5. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Oaks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
