Ritchie County is 1-9 against St. Marys since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Rebels will venture away from home to challenge the Blue Devils at 1:00 p.m. Ritchie County is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.
While Ritchie County's victory against Tyler wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Rebels sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 11-9 win over the Knights on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, St. Marys got the win against Williamstown on Tuesday by a conclusive 13-5. Considering the Blue Devils have won seven games by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cali Masters was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted over her last 12 contests.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ella Bullman, who scored three runs and stole four bases while going 1-for-4. That's the most runs she has posted over her last 11 matches. Brylee McGrady was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
St. Marys lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
St. Marys is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.1 runs over those games. As for Ritchie County, they pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
Ritchie County came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Marys when the teams last played two weeks ago, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rebels since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
