Softball Game Preview: Nettleton Tigers vs. Hamilton Lions

A feisty cat fight will be fought as Nettleton Tigers take on Hamilton Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Nettleton sitting on four straight victories and Hamilton on three.

Nettleton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Mississippi's top teams: Caledonia, who was ranked 12th at the time (Nettleton was ranked 19th). Nettleton was the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over Caledonia on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Tigers have won by exactly seven runs.

Bailey Payne made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Furthermore, she didn't allow a single walk, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.

Payne wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Anna Taylor, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two RBI. Zyah Gunter also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, Hamilton sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over Walnut on Thursday.

Nettleton's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 7.2 runs. As for Hamilton, their record now sits at 5-2.

Everything went Nettleton's way against Hamilton in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Nettleton made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Nettleton since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.