The Jefferson Forest Cavaliers will square off against the Rustburg Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Jefferson Forest 1.3, Rustburg 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Jefferson Forest is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Virginia's top teams: Staunton River, who was ranked 14th at the time (Jefferson Forest was ranked 11th). The Cavaliers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over the Golden Eagles on Wednesday. The win was nothing new for the Cavaliers as they're now sitting on three straight.
Amelia Long spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Jefferson Forest saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kimber Spence, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Rustburg nor Brookville made it on the board until the sixth inning. The Red Devils fell just short of the Bees by a score of 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Red Devils have suffered since April 22, 2024.
Rustburg also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Laila Bigham gave up just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 15 Ks.
Jefferson Forest's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Rustburg, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-6 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Jefferson Forest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rustburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Jefferson Forest came out on top in a nail-biter against Rustburg in their previous matchup back in April, sneaking past 1-0. Do the Cavaliers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
