Southwest Onslow extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 4-6. They came up short against the Pender Patriots, falling 14-4. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Patriots this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-8 on Tuesday.
Kelly Shepard was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and one double. Another player making a difference was Skylar Phillips, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
As for Pender, they pushed their record up to 10-0 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. They might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by eight runs or more this season.
On Pender's side, Alyna Rooks made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Rooks has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with four runs. Those four runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kenyatta Jacobs, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those five hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Haley Gantt, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Southwest Onslow and Richlands, after both having extra time off, will shake off the rust and duke it out at 6:00 p.m. on April 7. The Wildcats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.38 runs per game on average), something the Stallions will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Pender, they will welcome East Columbus at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The Patriots' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Gators have averaged an impressive 13.5 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
