The Blacksburg Bruins will square off against the Jefferson Forest Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Blacksburg: 4, Jefferson Forest: 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Blacksburg is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They won by a run and slipped past Mecklenburg County 4-3.
Evelyn Rhoads made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rhoads has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive pitching appearances. Rhoads was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Lindsey Polan was incredible, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. Katey Mathena was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Halifax County typically has all the answers at home, but on Wednesday Jefferson Forest proved too difficult a challenge. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over the Comets. Winning may never get old, but Jefferson Forest sure is getting used to it with their third in a row.
Amelia Long spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mati Gouldthorpe, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Taya Hall, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Blacksburg is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. As for Jefferson Forest, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Blacksburg has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Jefferson Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Blacksburg came out on top in a nail-biter against Jefferson Forest when the teams last played back in March of 2022, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Blacksburg since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
