The Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers will face off against the Pickens Blue Flame at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Pickens will be up against a hot Blue Ridge team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. The Fighting Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand Berea a 10-0 shutout on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Fighting Tigers, who have now won seven contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Lily Mulkey
| 04/08/25 vs Berea | 3 |
| 03/05/25 vs Eastside | 1 |
| 04/18/24 @ Carolina Academy | 1 |
| 03/14/24 vs Broome | 1 |
| 03/02/24 @ Travelers Rest | 1 |
Lily Mulkey was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles, two runs, and one RBI. Those three doubles gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hannah Durham, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pickens). They put the hurt on Travelers Rest with a sharp 19-5 victory on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Sophie Duzan was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over five innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Duzan was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaylee Bolding, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Vivien Duzan was another key player, scoring three runs while going 1-for-3.
Pickens kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive games.
Pickens pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Blue Ridge, their victory bumped their record up to 10-5.
Both Blue Ridge and Pickens just can't seem to miss. The Fighting Tigers have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Pickens struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
