J.H. Rose has won four straight games at home, while D.H. Conley has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Rampants will host the Vikings at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (J.H. Rose 3.2, D.H. Conley 1.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
J.H. Rose easily dispatched Havelock on Thursday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Rampants fell just short of New Bern by a score of 5-3 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Rampants have suffered since March 12th.
Michelle Jenkins made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Clara Allen, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, D.H. Conley gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Havelock. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by six runs or more this season.
Kendall Howard made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over 4.1 innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 13 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three).
In other batting news, Harper Bradley was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Ava Gaddis, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
D.H. Conley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive contests.
J.H. Rose's loss dropped their record down to 9-7. As for D.H. Conley, their victory bumped their record up to 11-3.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. J.H. Rose has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. However, it's not like D.H. Conley struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.9 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
J.H. Rose suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to D.H. Conley in their previous meeting back in March. Will the Rampants have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
