Harlan County hasn't had much luck against Perry County Central recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Black Bears are taking a road trip to challenge the Commodores at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
On Tuesday, Harlan County got the win against Letcher County Central by a conclusive 7-1. The victory continues a trend for the Black Bears in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won four in a row.
Zayden Casolari spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Brayden Morris
| 05/06/25 @ Letcher County Central | 2 |
| 04/19/25 @ Clay County | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Middlesboro | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Middlesboro | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Harlan | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
At the plate, Brayden Morris was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI and two runs. Harlan County is 3-1 when Morris posts two or more runs, but 4-13-1 otherwise. Kayden Adams also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Perry County Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They never let Powell County get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Thursday.
Powell County's batters probably weren't too happy with Devin Gayhart, who pitched a no hitter and racked up eight Ks (he gave up eight walks).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mason Sumner, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted over his last ten contests. Derrick Fields was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Perry County Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Powell County only posted a batting average of .000.
Perry County Central pushed their record up to 12-16 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Harlan County, their record now sits at 7-14-1.
Harlan County skirted past Perry County Central 8-6 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Black Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
