The Grant County Braves will venture away from home to face off against the Owen County Rebels at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Grant County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Grant County lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Western Hills, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's matchup. The Braves were the clear victors by a 12-3 margin over the Wolverines on Wednesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Braves needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Braiden Beach
| 04/02/25 vs Western Hills | 4 |
| 03/29/25 vs Newport Central Catholic | 2 |
| 03/22/25 vs Spencer County | 2 |
| 05/01/24 vs Cooper | 1 |
Braiden Beach made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Beach was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Seth Tucker, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Braylon Rodriguez, who scored four runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Owen County's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell 6-1 to Walton-Verona. The contest marked the Rebels' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Owen County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Smith, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Grant County pushed their record up to 6-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Owen County, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.
Owen County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Grant County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. It's a different story for Owen County, though, as they've only averaged .252. Will they be able to contain Grant County's hitters?
Grant County beat Owen County 5-0 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Do the Braves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rebels turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
