Pope County had lost four straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped down to 1-2 to make it five. They fell just short of the Frankfort Redbirds by a score of 11-9. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Pirates of the 12-2 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in March of 2025.
Kacie Fritch was huge no matter where she played even without the win. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Fritch was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Maddie Barfield made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
As for Frankfort, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-1. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for their hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Like Pope County, Frankfort also got a great game from a two-way player: Ashley Rolla. She tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Rolla was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2025.
In other batting news, Jenna Deason and Makayla Joyner did most of the damage at the plate: Deason went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Joyner went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That's the most RBI Deason has posted since back in April of 2025. Another player making a difference was Ady Trogolo, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, Pope County will be playing in front of their home fans against Eldorado at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. As for Frankfort, they will head out on the road to face off against Crab Orchard at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
