The Heritage Mountaineers will challenge the Creek Wood Red Hawks at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Heritage is coming into the contest hot, having won their last eight games.
On Friday, Heritage made easy work of Lawrence County and carried off an 11-1 victory. Considering the Mountaineers have won 14 games by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Elishia Byrd made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base.
Brooke Gennoe
| 05/16/25 vs Lawrence County | 3 |
| 05/14/25 vs Lenoir City | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Sequoyah | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Bearden | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs Loudon | 2 |
In other batting news, Brooke Gennoe and Portlyn Bennett did most of the damage at the plate: Gennoe went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run, while Bennett went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Those three hits gave Gennoe a new career-high. Autumn Brooke Perrin was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Heritage kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in five consecutive matches.
Creek Wood never got on the board in their matchup on Wednesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Portland on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Panthers a 10-0 shutout. The win continues a trend for the Red Hawks in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won five in a row.
Like Heritage, Creek Wood also got a great game from a two-way player: Elizabeth Martin. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over six innings pitched. Martin was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Creek Wood let Jaycee Dillehay and Lilly Killebrew run wild. Dillehay went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Killebrew went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run marked the first that Dillehay has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Aleigha McCord, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Heritage pushed their record up to 27-8 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Creek Wood, their record is now 29-13.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Heritage hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like Creek Wood struggles in that department as they've averaged .343. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Heritage came up short against Creek Wood in their previous matchup back in April of 2018, falling 9-4. Can the Mountaineers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
