Sumter is 2-7 against West Florence since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. After both having extra time off, the pair will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 6:00 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Even though Socastee scored an imposing 16 runs last Tuesday, Sumter still came out on top. Sumter skirted past Socastee 18-16. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Sumter.
Sydney Rhodes was a standout: she went 3-for-6 with a home run, five RBI, and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Kiley Laux, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 4-for-5.
Meanwhile, West Florence was able to grind out a solid victory over South Florence two weeks ago, taking the game 8-4.
Annie Ruth Eliason was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only two hits. Eliason has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings every time she's pitched this season. Eliason was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, West Florence let Taryn Weatherford and Charisma Williams loose on the outfield. Weatherford went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double, while Williams scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Mia Boykin was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Sumter has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. As for West Florence, they pushed their record up to 6-2 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Both both teams just can't seem to miss. Sumter has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9 hits per game. However, it's not like West Florence struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 2.1. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sumter came up short against West Florence in their previous meeting back in February, falling 5-0. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Eliason, who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Now that Sumter knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
