The Rowan County Vikings will challenge the Russell Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Rowan County's favor as the team sits on ten straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Russell has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.
Rowan County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Menifee County a 22-0 shutout on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won ten matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Kassi Perkins made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Perkins was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
Malana Hamm
| 05/06/25 vs Menifee County | 5 |
| 03/27/25 vs Lewis County | 3 |
| 03/31/25 @ New Rochelle | 2 |
| 04/30/25 @ Woodford County | 1 |
| 04/26/25 vs Johnson Central | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Malana Hamm, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those five stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kelbie Ford, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
Rowan County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Menifee County didn't got any hits.
Raceland hit Russell with a seven-run first inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Red Devils fell 11-6 to the Rams.
Ava Howard was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Paige Hutchinson, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
Russell's defeat dropped their record down to 7-14. As for Rowan County, their win bumped their record up to 20-5.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rowan County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. However, it's not like Russell struggles in that department as they've averaged .312. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rowan County took their victory against Russell in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 21-5 score. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Red Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
