The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Huntington Huntsmen at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Lynchburg-Clay is coming into the match hot, having won their last five games.
Lynchburg-Clay barely beat Whiteoak the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Mustangs were the clear victors by an 11-5 margin over the Wildcats on Thursday. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.
Noel Barnhill
| 04/24/25 vs Whiteoak | 11 |
| 04/21/25 vs Peebles | 8 |
| 04/19/25 @ Zane Trace | 5 |
| 04/12/25 @ Westfall | 8 |
| 04/09/25 @ Fairfield | 8 |
| + 2 more games |
Noel Barnhill made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Caitlyn Collins, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Sophia. Michael was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, Huntington came up short against Adena on Monday, falling 17-7. The loss continues a trend for the Huntsmen in their meetings with the Warriors: they've now lost seven in a row.
Allie Baker made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Savannah Bushatz, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Lynchburg-Clay's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Huntington, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.
Huntington's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Lynchburg-Clay has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Huntington, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Lynchburg-Clay keep running through batters, or will the Huntsmen buck the trend?
Lynchburg-Clay suffered a grim 19-0 defeat to Huntington when the teams last played back in March of 2021. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
