Turkeyfoot Valley Area is 0-10 against Shade since May of 2019 but things could change on Thursday. The Rams will be playing in front of their home fans against the Panthers at 3:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Turkeyfoot Valley Area came into this matchup off a tough 15-run loss on Monday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Blacklick Valley by a score of 13-11 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Rams have suffered since May 7, 2024.
Laurel Vogel and Rianna Culp stepped up to the plate in a big way. Vogel went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Culp went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That RBI marked the first that Vogel has brought in this season. Another player making a difference was Kiley Mitchell, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Shade had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Monday. They skirted past the Cougars 11-9. 11 seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Patty Kovacs was a standout: she got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Kaylee Jamison was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Shade kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive contests.
Shade pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Turkeyfoot Valley Area, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-7.
Turkeyfoot Valley Area's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's matchup. The Rams have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Shade, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Turkeyfoot Valley Area continue to outrun the ball?
Turkeyfoot Valley Area suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Shade in their previous matchup on April 9th. Will the Rams have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
