An exciting North v. South battle is about to be fought. The South Laurel Cardinals will head out to square off against the North Laurel Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. South Laurel is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
North Laurel's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: South Laurel hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Cardinals put the hurt on Corbin with a sharp 9-0 win on Monday. The Cardinals haven't had any issues with the Redhounds recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Kenzie Williams
| 04/14/25 @ Corbin | 5 |
| 04/11/25 vs Estill County | 11 |
| 04/07/25 vs Boyle County | 12 |
| 04/04/25 @ Jackson County | 7 |
| 04/03/25 @ South Oldham | 10 |
| + 4 more games |
Kenzie Williams made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Addison Baker was a standout: she went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Bailey Frazier, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between North Laurel and Madison Southern, and North Laurel kept the tradition alive. The Jaguars came out on top in a nail-biter against the Eagles on Tuesday, sneaking past 6-4.
Tessa Monhollen spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.
At the plate, Emma Carl was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Katie Sams was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
North Laurel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Madison Southern only posted a batting average of .217.
North Laurel's win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-1-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for South Laurel, their record now sits at 10-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. South Laurel hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like North Laurel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
South Laurel couldn't quite finish off North Laurel when the teams last played back in March and fell 7-5. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
