McNairy Central and Riverside are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. A feisty cat fight will be fought as McNairy Central Bobcats face off against Riverside Panthers at 6:20 p.m. on Thursday. McNairy Central's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Riverside's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
McNairy Central barely beat Booneville the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Everything went McNairy Central's way against Booneville on Tuesday as McNairy Central made off with a 7-1 win. The matchup marked the Bobcats' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Case Stone spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
Case Rickman
| 03/11/25 vs Booneville | 4 |
| 04/26/24 vs Fayette Academy | 2 |
| 03/10/25 vs Lausanne Collegiate | 1 |
| 04/20/24 @ Fayette Academy | 1 |
| 04/17/24 vs Jackson South Side | 1 |
On the hitting side, Case Rickman was excellent, going 1-for-3 with four RBI and one triple. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tucker McMahan, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Riverside lost 7-1 to Lexington on Tuesday. The loss was the Panthers' first of the season.
Riverside saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Peyton Kirk, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
McNairy Central's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Riverside, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. McNairy Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Riverside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
McNairy Central skirted past Riverside 9-8 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Does McNairy Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Riverside turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
