The St. Stephens Indians will be playing in front of their home fans against the West Iredell Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Stephens will be strutting in after a victory while West Iredell will be coming in after a loss.
St. Stephens had to endure a six-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They were the clear victor by a 12-6 margin over Hickory. St. Stephens' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last five games.
Anicka McFarland was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. McFarland has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings every time she's pitched this season. McFarland was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases.
In other batting news, St. Stephens let Alexa Woodard and Kaela Briggs loose on the outfield. Woodard scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Briggs scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for West Iredell's offense. They suffered a tough 10-0 defeat at the hands of Foard on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty 16 runs in the game before, West Iredell's shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
West Iredell saw one different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kendyl King, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
St. Stephens made their fans wait, but they earned their first win of the season to make their record 1-5. As for West Iredell, their loss was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4.
West Iredell's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. St. Stephens has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for West Iredell, though, as they've been averaging only 3.8 per game. Will St. Stephens keep running through batters, or will West Iredell buck the trend?
Everything went St. Stephens' way against West Iredell in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 as St. Stephens made off with a 12-1 win. Will St. Stephens repeat their success, or does West Iredell have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
