The Braxton County Eagles will face off against the Ritchie County Rebels at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Braxton County is looking for their season's first win.
South Harrison hit Braxton County with a eight-run sixth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Eagles came up short against the Hawks, falling 8-2.
Braxton County saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Conrad, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Ritchie County has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging three runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. Everything went their way against Williamstown as they made off with a 19-13 victory. The Rebels might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by six runs or more this season.
Rocklyn Marcum made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Rindy Perkins was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Satterfield, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Ritchie County hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Williamstown struck out seven times.
Ritchie County has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-2-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Braxton County, their loss dropped their record down to 0-13.
Braxton County was able to grind out a solid victory over Ritchie County in their previous meeting back in April of 2018, winning 15-10. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Rebels have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
