The West Florence Knights will square off against the Marion Swamp Foxes at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. West Florence is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
West Florence is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Carolina's top teams: Aynor, who was ranked eighth at the time (West Florence was ranked 15th). The Knights came up short against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, falling 8-2. The Knights' defeat signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.
Ava Gainey was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
Marion never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Manning last Tuesday. They blew past the Monarchs 18-1. The result was nothing new for the Swamp Foxes, who have now won five games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Kynnedi Jenkins made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (three).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maliyah Williams, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 2-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Amiyah Waiters was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Marion was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .586. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Marion is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for West Florence, their loss dropped their record down to 14-5.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. West Florence has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .460. However, it's not like Marion struggles in that department as they've averaged .546. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Florence came out on top in a nail-biter against Marion when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Swamp Foxes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
