The Rogers Pirates are packing up and heading out on the road for their first away game this season: they will face off against the Central Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Rogers is leaving town to face Central after disappointing their home crowd in their season opener. Rogers fell just short of Deshler by a score of 8-7 on Tuesday. While the Pirates didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Tigers 5-0 in the first period.
Natalie Ford was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Ford was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Alona Davis was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. Madison Purdy was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Even though they lost, Rogers was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Deshler only posted a batting average of .300.
Meanwhile, Central had to kick off their season on the road on Tuesday, but they showed no ill effects. They never let Colbert County get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Wildcats have posted against the Indians since April 17, 2018.
Like Rogers, Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Chloe May. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. The dominant performance gave May a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abbie McCreless, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Paislee Ticer, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Rogers suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Rogers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
