The Ironton Fighting Tigers will challenge the Cabell Midland Knights at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a five-game winning streak alive.
Ironton barely beat Fairland the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Fighting Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Dragons a 17-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Fighting Tigers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Ava Bihl made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Aubrey Ferguson
| 04/01/25 @ Fairland | 4 |
| 05/13/24 vs Meigs | 3 |
| 04/15/24 @ Dawson-Bryant | 3 |
| 04/13/24 @ East Carter | 3 |
| 03/23/24 vs Vinton County | 3 |
In other batting news, Aubrey Ferguson was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, eight RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Layla Townsend, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5.
Ironton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .622. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fairland only posted an OBP of .125.
Meanwhile, Cabell Midland faced Riverside in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Knights blew past the Warriors 13-0. Considering the Knights have won six contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cabell Midland got a massive performance out of Baylee Smith, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. Smith also put up a stolen base, which was her first of the season. Ellie McCormill was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Cabell Midland's record now sits at 7-1. As for Ironton, their victory was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Ironton hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Cabell Midland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Ironton came out on top in a nail-biter against Cabell Midland in their previous meeting back in April of 2022, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Fighting Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
