Baseball Game Preview: Houston County Fighting Irish vs. McKenzie Rebels

Houston County hasn't had much luck against McKenzie recently, but that could start to change on Monday. Houston County will face off against McKenzie at 5:00 p.m. Houston County has given up an average of 10.2 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Houston County managed to slip by Santa Fe the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. Houston County came up short against Santa Fe on Friday, falling 24-10. Even though they lost, the Fighting Irish's still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.4 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Malachi Rouse was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of William Riley, who scored two runs and stole five bases.

Even though they lost, Houston County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. This was only their first loss (out of three games) when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Meanwhile, McKenzie came up short against Huntingdon on Friday and fell 5-2. The loss continues a trend for the Rebels in their meetings with the Mustangs: they've now lost four in a row.

Houston County's record now sits at 4-6. As for McKenzie, their record is now 3-8.

Houston County might still be hurting after the 12-0 defeat they got from McKenzie in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Houston County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.