The Oak Hill Oaks will face off against the Clay Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Last Wednesday, Oak Hill made easy work of South Gallia and carried off a 22-5 victory. The win continues a trend for the Oaks in their matchups with the Rebels: they've now won three in a row.
Ellie McCarty made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up five earned runs off four hits. McCarty was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Oak Hill got a massive performance out of Gracie Evans, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 5-for-5. Another player making a difference was Charissa Kranitz, who scored four runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-4.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Clay, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington with a sharp 9-1 victory on Thursday. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matches by eight runs or more this season.
Like Oak Hill, Clay also got a great game from a two-way player: Laney Shepherd. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Shepherd has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sarah Cassidy, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4. What's more, she posted three RBI, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. Elin Shaw was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Clay kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Oak Hill's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Clay, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.
Oak Hill came up short against Clay in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 8-5. Can the Oaks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
