The Rowan County Vikings are taking a road trip to take on the South Laurel Cardinals at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Rowan County 3.2, South Laurel 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Rowan County came into their game on Monday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They came up short against Bowling Green, falling 15-1. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Vikings, who until this contest were averaging 3.22 runs allowed.
Rowan County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Crisp, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple. That's the most hits Crisp has posted since back in March of 2024. Brody Lykins also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Even though they lost, Rowan County 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 three strikeouts in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, South Laurel put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Blazer as South Laurel made off with a 10-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won three games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Waylon Hensley made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Hensley was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Reece Noble and Keaton Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Noble scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Smith scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Will Alsip, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI.
South Laurel's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 9.2 runs this season. As for Rowan County, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 8-1.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rowan County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .396. However, it's not like South Laurel struggles in that department as they've averaged .340. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
