Baseball Game Preview: Dawson Bulldogs vs. Valley Mills Eagles

The Dawson Bulldogs will face off against the Valley Mills Eagles on Thursday. Dawson is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Dawson is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-4 margin over Meridian. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bulldogs.

Kane Funderburk was excellent, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.

Meanwhile, Valley Mills beat Graford 6-1 on Friday.

Jackson Sparkman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits.

At the plate, Valley Mills let Blayne Griner and Bryson Bell run wild. Griner got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI, while Bell got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Rodriguez, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.

Valley Mills is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 16 matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 18-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Dawson, their victory bumped their record up to 12-8.

Dawson might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Valley Mills in their previous meeting back in March of 2022. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.