The Shady Spring Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Bluefield Beavers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Shady Spring's victory against Independence wasn't quite the blowout they won the last time the pair played, they still came away the winners. Shady Spring sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over Independence on Thursday. Nine seems to be a good number for Shady Spring as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Brooklynn Blankenship was incredible, going 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Lacy Osborne, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Bluefield put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They blew past Princeton 20-3. Bluefield's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Isabella Smith made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Smith has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Smith was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Grace Richardson and Madison Lawson did most of the damage at the plate: Richardson went 3-for-3 with four runs, a triple, and two RBI, while Lawson got on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Sophie Hall, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Shady Spring is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Bluefield, their record is now 10-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Shady Spring has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bluefield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
