Starmount and Wilkes Central are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Rams will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Wilkes Central took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Starmount, who comes in off a win.
Starmount's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Alleghany as they made off with a 15-0 victory. Considering the Rams have won three contests by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Rachael Bates
| 03/20/26 vs Alleghany | 3 |
| 03/18/26 vs Forbush | 1 |
| 03/13/26 @ Elkin | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Elkin | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Ashe County | 1 |
Rachael Bates was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Mackinzie Cox was excellent, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Ashlyn Gardner was another key player, earning one RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Starmount always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .560. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Alleghany only posted an OBP of .143.
Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Wilkes Central's offense. They lost 18-0 to West Wilkes on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 13 runs in the game before, the Eagles' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Starmount's win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-4. As for Wilkes Central, their loss was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4.
Starmount suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Wilkes Central when the teams last played back in April of 2021. Will the Rams 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.
