Baseball Game Preview: Jefferson Dragons vs. Cherokee Bluff Bears

For the second straight game, Jefferson will face off against Cherokee Bluff. Jefferson will be playing at home against Cherokee Bluff at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Jefferson came into their game on Tuesday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 14-5 to Cherokee Bluff. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Dragons have suffered since April 29, 2024.

For Cherokee Bluff's part, Gabe Gowder tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over 5.1 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave Gowder a new career-high.

On the hitting side, Cherokee Bluff let Bubba Coleman and Landon Kemp run wild. Coleman scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Kemp went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs. Coleman has become a key player for Cherokee Bluff: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 7-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Beau Bruns, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.

Cherokee Bluff always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

The win (which was Cherokee Bluff's seventh in a row) raised their record to 11-8. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.9 runs over those games. As for Jefferson, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-10.