The Huntington Huntsmen will take on the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Huntington has given up an average of 11.2 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Huntington came up short against Adena on Monday, falling 17-7. The Huntsmen haven't had much luck with the Warriors recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.
Allie Baker made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Savannah Bushatz, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Meanwhile, Lynchburg-Clay came tearing into Thursday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Wildcats as they made off with an 11-5 win. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.
Noel Barnhill was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out 11 batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Caitlyn Collins was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia. Michael, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Lynchburg-Clay pushed their record up to 13-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Huntington, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Huntington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .396. However, it's not like Lynchburg-Clay struggles in that department as they've averaged .333. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Huntington took their victory against Lynchburg-Clay in their previous meeting back in March of 2021 by a conclusive 19-0 score. Will the Huntsmen repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
