Pittsburg hasn't had much luck against Riverton recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Dragons will challenge the Rams at 4:30 p.m. Pittsburg is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last 11 games.
On Tuesday, Pittsburg got the win against Labette County by a conclusive 12-2. The Dragons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 games by eight runs or more this season.
Breck Slaughter spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brette Pasteur, who fired off two home runs, four RBI, and one double while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Megan Johnston, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Pittsburg was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in 11 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Riverton is ranked highly in their home state and two weeks ago they took on another highly ranked team in the form of Mt. Vernon. The Rams came out on top in a nail-biter against the Mountaineers, sneaking past 2-1. That's two games straight that the Rams have won by just one run.
Riverton also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Roxsan Felix gave up only one earned run on six hits.
At the plate, Riverton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Avery Barnett, who went 2-for-4 with one double.
Pittsburg pushed their record up to 19-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Riverton, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-1.
Riverton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Pittsburg has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 12.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Riverton, though, as they've been averaging 9.9 hits. Given Pittsburg's sizable advantage in that area, the Rams will need to find a way to close that gap.
Pittsburg took their victory against Riverton when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Dragons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
