Hancock is on a five-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Martinsburg a six-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Monday. The Hancock Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Martinsburg Bulldogs at 4:45 p.m. Hancock will be strutting in after a win while Martinsburg will be coming in after a defeat.
Hancock made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Forbes Road, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Panthers put the hurt on Forbes Road with a sharp 21-4 victory on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their two-run performance the match before.
Brooklyn McCusker made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. McCusker was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Madison Booth was a standout: she scored four runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Kaybree Souders was another key player, going 2-for-3 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Hancock always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .657. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Forbes Road only posted an OBP of .286.
Meanwhile, Martinsburg lost 16-7 to Hampshire on Saturday.
Kamyia Cole-Redman made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs while going 2-for-3. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Hailey Kelican, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Hancock's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Martinsburg, their loss dropped their record down to 1-9.
Hancock took their victory against Martinsburg in their previous meeting back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 12-0 score. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
