The Ritchie County Rebels will take on the Fairmont Senior Polar Bears at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Ritchie County's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over Williamstown. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Rebels considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Rocklyn Marcum made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Rindy Perkins was a standout: she scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. Ava Satterfield was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Ritchie County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive games.
Fairmont Senior never got on the board in their matchup on Thursday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Berkeley Springs last Saturday. They put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 13-3 win. With that victory, the Polar Bears brought their scoring average up to 7 runs per game.
Like Ritchie County, Fairmont Senior also got a great game from a two-way player: Kylo Dodd. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Dodd was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, Talia Olivito and Sadie Rundle did most of the damage at the plate: Olivito scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Rundle went 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs. Those runs marked the first that Rundle scored this season. Another player making a difference was Shyanne Rowe, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Ritchie County's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Fairmont Senior, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ritchie County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fairmont Senior struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
