Softball Game Preview: Sumter Gamecocks vs. Latta Vikings

The Sumter Gamecocks will venture away from home to challenge the Latta Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Latta will be up against a hot Sumter squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went the Gamecocks' way against Ridge View on Thursday as they made off with a 16-1 victory.

Lillie Ivey made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February.

Ariana Evans

Stolen Base (Career)

05/01/25 vs Ridge View	5
04/04/25 vs East Clarendon	2
04/02/25 vs Crestwood	2
03/18/25 vs Lugoff-Elgin	2
03/13/25 vs Spring Valley	2

In other batting news, Ariana Evans was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with five stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Those five stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Sydney Rhodes, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Latta, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They put the hurt on Carvers Bay with a sharp 13-3 win on Tuesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Vikings needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.

Sumter pushed their record up to 17-6-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Latta, their record is now 14-3.

Sumter skirted past Latta 1-0 when the teams last played on Monday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gamecocks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.