South Stanly is 1-9 against West Stanly since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls will take on the Colts at 5:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
South Stanly proved they can win big on Monday (they won by ten) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against West Brunswick, sneaking past 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Rowdy Rebel Bulls have posted since May 10, 2024.
South Stanly got a great performance from Lyric Rucker as she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Coco Tyson, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Morgan Thomas, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, West Stanly had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against the Scorpions.
Madi Whitley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, West Stanly got a big performance out of Payton Watson, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Laney Tucker, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
South Stanly is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for West Stanly, their record now sits at 19-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. South Stanly has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Stanly struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
South Stanly couldn't quite get it done against West Stanly in their previous matchup back in March as they fell 5-0. Can the Rowdy Rebel Bulls avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
