The Craig County softball team is red hot as the Rockets prepare to play in the annual “Botetourt Bash” at the Botetourt Sports Complex this weekend.

The Rockets opened the season with two impressive wins last week. Craig beat both Narrows and Radford by slaughter rule and averaged almost five runs an inning over two games.

Craig beat Narrows at home, 20-0, to open the season, then beat Radford, 19-6, last Wednesday in New Castle. In both games the Rockets didn’t bat in the bottom of the fifth, scoring a total of 39 runs in eight innings, an average of 4.875 runs per inning.

“We hit the ball well,” said Craig coach Trent Lipes. “I know it wasn’t great competition, but I was still pleased with the way we swung the bats. We’ll find out how good we are this week.”

The Rockets were scheduled to play at Auburn on Monday, and the Eagles usually have a good team. This weekend Craig will participate in the Botetourt Bash in Daleville, and that will feature some outstanding competition.

The “Bash” will feature 10 teams. Craig will open at 6 pm Friday on Field 3 at the Botetourt Sports Complex against Galax, a team that went to the Group 1A state semifinals last year. The four 8 pm games will match Northside against Tazewell, Lord Botetourt against Riverheads, James River against Liberty and Greenbriar East against Holston.

On Saturday the Rockets will play Holston at 9 am, and four games are scheduled for 11 am, Northside against Riverheads, James River against Galax, Lord Botetourt against Tazewell and Greenbriar East against Liberty. Teams will be seeded after that for 1:30 pm games to determine first through eighth place.

The Rockets hope to keep up their hot hitting this week. In the win over Narrows they had 19 hits in four innings. Olivia Garman had four hits, including two doubles, and drove in four runs. Keiley Dudding and Hannah Lipes had three hits each and Savannah Looney, Kaylee Pauley and Mackenzie Hutchinson had two hits each.

Garman was dominant on the mound. Olivia struck out 14 of a possible 15 outs over five innings and allowed just two hits.

Against Radford Garman ran her record to 2-0 with six more strikeouts, giving her 20 for the week in 10 innings. And, for the second straight game, everyone in the Craig lineup had at least one hit.

This time Lipes led the team with a four-for-four game while Hutchinson and Pauley had three hits each. Garman had two doubles, Olivia Menezes had two hits and drove in four runs and Looney, Tiernney Zysk and Shaleigh Mayo had two hits each.

This weekend’s Botetourt Bash will also featured junior varsity competition. Craig will play Lord Botetourt at 9 am Saturday and Liberty High at 1:30 pm.