Shelby hasn't had much luck against Cherryville recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Shelby Golden Lions will be playing at home against the Cherryville Ironmen at 5:00 p.m.
Shelby is headed into Tuesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game dating back to last season on Friday. They lost 15-5 to Bessemer City.
Payton Barkley was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Julianna Vaughan, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cherryville). They were the clear victor by a 14-1 margin over Polk County on Thursday. With that victory, the Ironmen brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Raylei Gidney made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.5 strikeouts per game. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting no hits from her three at bats. She also snagged a stolen base, marking her first of the season.
In other batting news, Landyn McBride was excellent, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3. Kate Mulvey was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Cherryville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
The win got Cherryville back to even at 2-2. As for Shelby, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Shelby suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to Cherryville in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will Shelby have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
