The Oak Grove Warriors are taking a road trip to face off against the Northwest Rankin Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Oak Grove turned things around against Meridian on Monday. They blew past the Wildcats 19-4. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Warriors considering their one-run performance the match before.
Haiden Leach spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits.
At the plate, Abbie Merchant was a standout: she went 3-for-6 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Cadence Sheppard, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.
Oak Grove hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Northwest Rankin waltzed into their game on Tuesday with 11 straight wins... but they left with 12. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Pirates a 15-0 shutout. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 12, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Grace Wallis made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Wallis was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two triples and three RBI.
In other batting news, Brooke Smith and Jaliya Sullivian did most of the damage at the plate: Smith scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Sullivian went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Smith has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times she's played. Sybil Glover was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Northwest Rankin pushed their record up to 21-2 with the victory, which was their 23rd straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average this season. As for Oak Grove, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Both Oak Grove and Northwest Rankin just can't seem to miss. The Warriors have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Northwest Rankin struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Oak Grove suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Northwest Rankin in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
