The Rural Retreat Indians will face off against the Marion Scarlet Hurricanes at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Rural Retreat will be strutting in after a victory while Marion will be coming in after a loss.
Rural Retreat was handed a seven-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-7 win over Eastside.
Trever Shelton made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Shelton was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Jake Rollyson
| 03/28/25 @ Eastside | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Fort Chiswell | 1 |
| 03/21/25 @ George Wythe | 1 |
In other batting news, Jake Rollyson and Hunter Rollyson did most of the damage at the plate: Jake scored two runs and stole two bases, while Hunter went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Jake is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Zach Herndon, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Marion was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They lost 17-1 to Fort Chiswell.
Marion saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sean Stuart, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. Owen Parnell also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Rural Retreat's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Marion, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
Rural Retreat's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's match. The Indians have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Marion, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Rural Retreat continue to outrun the ball?
Rural Retreat came up short against Marion in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, falling 11-6. Can the Indians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
