Bluefield has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Shady Spring Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bluefield can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent match on Thursday. They blew past Princeton 20-3. Bluefield's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Isabella Smith made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Smith has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Smith was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Grace Richardson and Madison Lawson did most of the damage at the plate: Richardson went 3-for-3 with four runs, a triple, and two RBI, while Lawson got on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and four RBI. Sophie Hall was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Shady Spring won against Oak Hill on Monday with nine runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Shady Spring had just enough and edged Independence out 9-7. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Shady Spring.
The team relied heavily on Brooklynn Blankenship, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Lacy Osborne, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Bluefield has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. As for Shady Spring, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bluefield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Shady Spring struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bluefield skirted past Shady Spring 6-5 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Does Bluefield have another victory up their sleeve, or will Shady Spring turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
