South Point hasn't had much luck against Kings Mountain recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Red Raiders will look to defend their home field against the Mountaineers at 5:00 p.m. South Point is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.9 runs per game this season.
Last Tuesday, South Point came up short against Forestview and fell 11-7. The Red Raiders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Taylyn Ledford was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. Annie Risk was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, while Kings Mountain put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Ashbrook. The Mountaineers were the clear victors by a 20-0 margin over the Greenwave. Considering the Mountaineers have won ten contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Anna Wooten made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs.
In other batting news, Kayla McSwain was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Avery Cruise, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Kings Mountain was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .692. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
The win made it two in a row for Kings Mountain and bumps their season record up to 11-3. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.5 runs over those games. As for South Point, their loss dropped their record down to 9-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. South Point has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Kings Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 13.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
South Point suffered a grim 6-0 defeat to Kings Mountain in their previous meeting back in March. Will the Red Raiders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
