West Ridge extended their losing streak to four on Thursday, dropping them down to 11-14. They took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Jefferson County Patriots. The Wolves were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Patriots earlier this season, when they won 6-3.
Caydence Spears and Zoey Blair put in work no matter where they played. On the mound, Spears tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Blair struck out ten batters over eight innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Spears has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Spears went 3-for-5 with one double, while Blair went 3-for-5 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Teagan Tipton made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one home run. Emma Wilson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.
As for Jefferson County, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 22-13. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games.
On Jefferson County's side, Mila Taylor tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits.
On the hitting side, McKaylee Hobby was incredible, going 2-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs she has posted over her last 11 contests. Another player making a difference was Kenzli Trent, who went 2-for-6 with three RBI and one run.
Coming up, West Ridge will square off against Unaka at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Wolves' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Rangers have averaged an impressive 10.1 runs per game this season. As for Jefferson County, they will face off against Morristown-Hamblen East at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The Hurricanes have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 13.35 runs per game on average), something the Patriots will no doubt try to take advantage of.
