Baseball Game Preview: Pope County Pirates vs. Hardin County Cougars

For the second straight game, Pope County will face off against Hardin County. The Pirates will host the Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Pope County has given up an average of 10.6 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Pope County fell victim to Hardin County and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 20-0 to the Cougars. The loss continues a trend for the Pirates in their meetings with the Cougars: they've now lost nine in a row.

For Hardin County's part, Landon Fricker made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the most strikeouts Fricker has posted since back in April. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bryden Banks, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Nate Massie was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.

Hardin County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .694. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Hardin County has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Pope County, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-13.