Purple Riders
| 05/15/25 vs Claymont | 5 |
| 05/14/25 vs Claymont | 5 |
| 05/12/25 vs Weir | 6 |
| 05/09/25 vs Cambridge | 5 |
| 05/08/25 @ Indian Creek | 9 |
| + 23 more games |
The Martins Ferry Purple Riders will challenge the West Muskingum Tornadoes at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Martins Ferry is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
If Martins Ferry beats West Muskingum with five runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Purple Riders beat Claymont on Thursday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Purple Riders.
Maddie Lucas made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off eight hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Lucas wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Giana Chirpas, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, West Muskingum beat Sandy Valley 5-2 on Wednesday.
Kadie Bare spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits.
At the plate, Gabbi Hammer and Daylee Foster did most of the damage at the plate: Hammer went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI, while Foster went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI Foster has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Addy Antonetz, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
West Muskingum lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post two or more home runs.
West Muskingum's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-8. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Martins Ferry, their win bumped their record up to 24-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Martins Ferry hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.3 home runs per game. However, it's not like West Muskingum struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
