Oblong is 2-8 against Richland County since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Panthers will challenge the Tigers at 9:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Richland County will be up against a hot Oblong team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Panthers put the hurt on St. Elmo with a sharp 11-1 victory on Thursday.
Zya Bricker made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Brooke Kintner
| 05/15/25 vs St. Elmo | 4 |
| 04/16/25 vs Neoga | 3 |
| 05/12/25 @ Dugger Union | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Red Hill | 2 |
| 05/13/25 @ Red Hill | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brooke Kintner, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Maggie Bailey was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Tigers on Thursday. Richland County blew past Paris 16-6. Richland County hasn't had any issues with Paris recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Like Oblong, Richland County also got a great game from a two-way player: Taylor Bloomer. She pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Bloomer was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kaitlyn Dowty was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Addison McLaughlin, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Richland County's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-8. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Oblong, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Oblong suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Richland County when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
