The Rivercrest Colts will take on the West Memphis Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Rivercrest will be strutting in after a win while West Memphis will be coming in after a loss.
Rivercrest is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Newport an 18-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Colts have beaten the Greyhounds the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Greyhounds has come to flipping the script.
Katelyn Ostendorf made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double.
Halyn Belford
| 03/31/26 @ Newport | 3 |
| 03/17/26 @ Manila | 2 |
| 03/13/26 vs Buffalo Island Central | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Newport | 1 |
| 03/13/25 vs Harrisburg | 1 |
In other batting news, Rivercrest got a massive performance out of Halyn Belford, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those three hits gave Belford a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hannah Higgins, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles.
Rivercrest hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Newport struck out six times.
Batesville hit West Memphis with a seven-run third inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Blue Devils came up short against the Pioneers, falling 13-3. The Blue Devils have struggled against the Pioneers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Mackenzie Halford was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Rivercrest now has a winning record of 4-3. As for West Memphis, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Rivercrest has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .456. However, it's not like West Memphis struggles in that department as they've averaged .447. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rivercrest came out on top in a nail-biter against West Memphis in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, sneaking past 10-8. Will the Colts repeat their success, or do the Blue Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
