A feisty cat fight will be fought as Chipley Tigers face off against Paxton Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Paxton will be up against a hot Chipley squad: the team just extended their winning streak to six. Chipley was the clear victor by a 16-1 margin over Sneads on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won five games by 11 runs or more so far this season.
Lauren Waits made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. What's more, she gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest she's had since back in February. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kenzlee Nelson, who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. She also launched a home run, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jadyn Pettis, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
Chipley hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in five consecutive contests.
While Paxton didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They never let Vernon get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory on Friday. The Bobcats haven't had any issues with the Yellowjackets recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Avionnah Padgett was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Kenzie Lassiter and Alyssa Falk did most of the damage at the plate: Lassiter scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Falk went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Delia Pennington was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI.
Chipley's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Paxton, their record now sits at 6-3.
Chipley couldn't quite finish off Paxton when the teams last played back in March and fell 9-7. Can Chipley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
