The Orange County Fighting Hornets will face off against the Western Albemarle Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Orange County's pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so Western Albemarle's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Orange County blew Fluvanna County out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Monday Fluvanna County got their revenge. The Fighting Hornets fell just short of the Flying Flucos by a score of 3-1. Surprisingly, this marked the Fighting Hornets' fifth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Western Albemarle came out on top against Albemarle on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run first inning. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 17-2 margin over the Patriots. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Ava Hardy made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Western Albemarle got a massive performance out of Addy Hux, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Jillie Clark, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Western Albemarle kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Western Albemarle is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Orange County, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 11-8.
Orange County couldn't quite get it done against Western Albemarle when the teams last played on May 6th as they fell 7-3. Will the Fighting Hornets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
