The Oak Hill Red Devils will venture away from home to challenge the Nicholas County Grizzlies at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Oak Hill is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Oak Hill after they put the first run on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Woodrow Wilson by a score of 7-6. Red Devils fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Flying Eagles since on Tuesday.
Owen Grose made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Devin Richardson was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Nicholas County's hitters rose to the challenge against a Warriors pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.94 runs allowed on Wednesday. The Grizzlies blew past Wyoming East 13-7. The Grizzlies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by six runs or more this season.
Coleton Hellems made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Hellems was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Ira Mylott was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Nicholas County is undefeated when Mylott posts three or more hits, but 5-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Braden Brown, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Nicholas County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive contests.
Nicholas County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Oak Hill, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.
Oak Hill suffered a grim 15-2 defeat to Nicholas County in their previous meeting last Wednesday. Can the Red Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
