Softball Game Preview: Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado vs. Graves County Eagles

Paducah Tilghman is 2-8 against Graves County since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Blue Tornado will square off against the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Paducah Tilghman's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Graves County's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Paducah Tilghman's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Tuesday's struggle, when McCracken County hitters got past them. The Blue Tornado came up short against the Mustangs on Tuesday, falling 11-5. The Blue Tornado have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Paducah Tilghman saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hailey Mooney, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI. Another was Sophie Key, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Graves County entered their tilt with Mayfield on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They never let the Cardinals get on the board and left with a 17-0 win. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by seven runs or more this season.

Graves County pushed their record up to 13-10 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Paducah Tilghman, their loss dropped their record down to 19-7.

Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Paducah Tilghman hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .360. However, it's not like Graves County struggles in that department as they've averaged .352. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Paducah Tilghman might still be hurting after the 9-3 defeat they got from Graves County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Blue Tornado avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.