Hardin hasn't had much luck against Orangefield recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Hornets will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Hardin took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past Warren 5-4.
Lleyton Berry spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Hardin saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hunter Whitehead, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Parker Buffington also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Orangefield won against Buna on Tuesday with seven runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. The Bobcats sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 victory over the Cougars. The win continues a trend for the Bobcats in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won eight in a row.
Cole Sanches was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Raegan Valka looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Carson Worthy was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ethan Sanders, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances.
Hardin has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Orangefield, their win bumped their record up to 19-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hardin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Orangefield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hardin couldn't quite finish off Orangefield in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can the Hornets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
