The Maryville Red Rebels will face off against the Alcoa Tornadoes at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Maryville 4.1, Alcoa 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Maryville fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Powell on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 4-2. Having soared to a lofty 14 runs in the game before, the Red Rebels couldn't push the score so high this time.
Sadie Johnson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off nine hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Maryville saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isabella Saunders, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Alcoa faced Gibbs in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Tornadoes had just enough and edged out the Eagles 5-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tornadoes.
Makenna McCarter looked comfortable as she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Halle Bailey was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Tori Haun was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Alcoa hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in five consecutive contests.
Alcoa's victory bumped their record up to 22-6-1. As for Maryville, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Maryville hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Alcoa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Maryville couldn't quite finish off Alcoa in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 and fell 8-6. Will the Red Rebels have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
