Chincoteague and Arcadia are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Ponies will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Firebirds at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Chincoteague is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They came out on top against Northampton by a score of 13-8 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Ponies in their matchups with the Yellowjackets: they've now won nine in a row.
Faith Stadler made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one RBI.
Marley Kinard
| 05/05/26 vs Northampton | 2 |
| 04/27/26 vs Holly Grove Christian | 1 |
| 04/24/26 @ Middlesex | 1 |
| 04/14/26 @ Snow Hill | 1 |
| 04/10/26 @ Wicomico | 1 |
In other batting news, Virginia Sawyer and Marley Kinard did most of the damage at the plate: Sawyer went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Kinard got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs. The dominant performance also gave Kinard a new career-high in hits (two). E'Miyah Davis was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Chincoteague was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Arcadia got themselves on the board against Nandua on Tuesday, but Nandua never followed suit. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Warriors 2-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Firebirds have posted against the Warriors since May 2, 2023.
The result came thanks to Ryann Giddins's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 16 Ks.
At the plate, Brinlee Kauthen was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases.
Arcadia's win bumped their record up to 10-4. As for Chincoteague, their victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Chincoteague has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Arcadia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Chincoteague suffered a grim 18-0 defeat to Arcadia in their previous matchup last Tuesday. Will the Ponies have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
