Oxford hasn't had much luck against Hernando recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Chargers will face off against the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Oxford will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Southaven on Wednesday. Oxford walked away with a 13-8 win over Southaven. The victory continues a trend for Oxford in their matchups with Southaven: they've now won four in a row.
Mary-Claire King
| 04/16/25 @ Southaven | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs DeSoto Central | 0 |
| 04/08/25 @ Lewisburg | 1 |
| 04/01/25 vs Hernando | 1 |
| 03/24/25 @ Pontotoc | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
Mary-Claire King made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Oxford let Jacei Clark and Jayla Dukes run wild. Clark went 4-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and four RBI, while Dukes went 2-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Those six RBI gave Dukes a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Hernando faced DeSoto Central in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Jaguars a 3-0 shutout. Winning may never get old, but the Tigers sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Not much got past Olivia Skinner, who gave up just four hits to keep DeSoto Central off the board. Skinner has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hayden Hodge, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Hernando's win was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 26-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Oxford, their record now sits at 13-14.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Oxford hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Hernando struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Oxford might still be hurting after the 11-3 defeat they got from Hernando in their previous meeting on April 1st. Can the Chargers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
