The Watkins Memorial Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the West Jefferson Roughriders at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Watkins Memorial took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They blew past Granville 10-3. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Warriors considering their two-run performance the match before.
The team relied heavily on Kyliee Trouten, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Gracie Gerhardt, who went 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Watkins Memorial was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, West Jefferson had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Golden Eagles a 10-0 shutout. Ten seems to be a good number for the Roughriders as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Jenna Mannon was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and one triple. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Payton Kincade was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
West Jefferson pushed their record up to 17-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Watkins Memorial, their record is now 14-10.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Watkins Memorial hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like West Jefferson struggles in that department as they've averaged .398. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
