Riverside is 1-9 against Covington since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Pirates will head out on the road to challenge the Buccs at 5:00 p.m. Riverside is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.
Riverside will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Saturday, then bounced right back against Troy Christian on Monday. The Pirates put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 13-1 victory. The win continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won six in a row.
Riley Dillon
| 04/14/25 vs Troy Christian | 10 |
| 03/29/25 @ Ridgemont | 7 |
| 03/22/25 vs Northeastern | 6 |
| 04/30/24 vs Covington | 4 |
| 04/20/24 @ Newton Local | 4 |
Riley Dillon made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). Those ten strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Brook Hunkler and Jayden Hoffer did most of the damage at the plate: Hunkler fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-2, while Hoffer went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those two home runs gave Hunkler a new career-high. Emilee Robinson was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Riverside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .478. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Covington posted their closest victory since March 27th on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Bradford 13-11.
Whitney Burns spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and seven unearned) runs on 13 hits and racked up six Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kylie Palsgrove, who fired off two home runs, four runs, and three RBI while going 4-for-4. Jayda McClure also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Riverside's record now sits at 9-5. As for Covington, their record is now 7-5.
Covington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Riverside has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Covington, though, as they've been averaging 10.7 hits. Given Riverside's sizable advantage in that area, the Buccs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Riverside came up short against Covington in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 8-5. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
