The Tucker County Mountain Lions will take on the Elkins Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Elkins took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Tucker County, who comes in off a win.
Tucker County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 22-7 margin over East Hardy on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Mountain Lions in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won eight in a row.
Ava Shaffer made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
In other batting news, Sutton Pase was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Carlee Nicholas, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Tucker County hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Hardy struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, Elkins came up short against Philip Barbour on Tuesday, falling 17-3. The Tigers have struggled against the Colts recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.
Elkins saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hailey Riffle, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Elkins' defeat dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Tucker County, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Tucker County took their victory against Elkins in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-1 score. Will the Mountain Lions repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
