The Oakdale Eagles will be playing at home against the Lenoir City Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Last Thursday, Oakdale came up short against Harriman and fell 8-4. Oakdale has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Rhylan Hicks was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and six unearned) runs off seven hits. Hicks has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Hicks was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Emma Wrather made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double. Celina Williams was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Even though they lost, Oakdale didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 11 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Harriman only tossed four.
Meanwhile, Lenoir City scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They blew past Concord Christian 21-6. Lenoir City might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won six games by six runs or more this season.
Like Oakdale, Lenoir City also got a great game from a two-way player: Reagan Helton. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned run off two hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Helton was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Kymbal Williams was incredible, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Emma Harness, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Oakdale's loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Lenoir City, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Oakdale has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Lenoir City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Oakdale came up short against Lenoir City in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 10-7. Can Oakdale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
