The Long Rebels will take on the Ariton Purple Cats at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Ariton will be up against a hot Long squad: the team just extended their winning streak to seven. Long never let Abbeville get on the board and left with a 15-0 win on Monday.
Anna Claire Free made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in home runs.
In other batting news, Kaylie Foster was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ansley Watson, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Long lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Ariton hadn't done well against Brantley recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Ariton put the hurt on Brantley with a sharp 11-2 victory. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Beth Dixon was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Dixon was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Lizzy Faircloth was incredible, scoring three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Macileigh Bragg was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Ariton's win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-4-1. As for Long, their record now sits at 14-2.
Long skirted past Ariton 8-6 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will Long repeat their success, or does Ariton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
