The Ironton Fighting Tigers will venture away from home to face off against the Rowan County Vikings at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Ironton comes in on four and Rowan County on nine.
Ironton's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Chesapeake. The Fighting Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by nine runs or more this season.
Layla Townsend
| 04/11/25 vs Chesapeake | 9 |
| 04/09/25 @ Portsmouth | 9 |
| 03/31/25 @ Huntington | 7 |
| 03/22/25 vs Minford | 5 |
Layla Townsend made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Khamil Martin, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Miley Bias was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Ironton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .800. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Rowan County hadn't beaten Bath County on the road since April 17, 2019 but that history sure didn't bother them on Thursday. The Vikings skirted past the Wildcats 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Vikings have posted against the Wildcats since April 22, 2019.
Like Ironton, Rowan County also got a great game from a two-way player: Kassi Perkins. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Perkins was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Lauryn Eastham was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Another player making a difference was Malana Hamm, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Ironton pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Rowan County, their record now sits at 10-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Ironton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Rowan County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
