Greensville County is 0-10 against Southampton since May of 2018 but things could change on Friday. The Eagles are taking a road trip to challenge the Indians at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Greensville County's victory against Franklin wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Eagles' pitchers stepped up to hand the Broncos a 1-0 shutout on Thursday. Those one runs were actually the fewest the Eagles have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Meanwhile, Southampton entered their tilt with Surry County on Thursday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They were the clear victors by a 15-2 margin over the Cougars. The result was nothing new for the Indians, who have now won seven games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Anne Jackson Pope was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Natasha Melbye was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Stanyiah Darden also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Southampton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .556 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Southampton pushed their record up to 10-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Greensville County, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-1.
Greensville County suffered a grim 16-4 defeat to Southampton in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
