Baseball Game Preview: Campbell County Cougars vs. Oliver Springs Bobcats

A feisty cat fight will be fought as Campbell County Cougars duke it out with Oliver Springs Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Campbell County has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Oliver Springs will arrive with five straight wins.

Campbell County fell victim to Oak Ridge and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Wildcats, falling 24-0.

Meanwhile, Oliver Springs got the win against Jellico on Tuesday by a conclusive 16-1. The Bobcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by six runs or more this season.

Jackson Daugherty made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Daugherty was also big at the plate, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4.

In other batting news, Eli Brummett and Liam Boeke did most of the damage at the plate: Brummett went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Boeke scored a run and stole four bases while going 2-for-2. With that strong performance, Boeke is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game. Nicholas Johnson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Oliver Springs always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .643. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Oliver Springs pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Campbell County, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-9.

Everything went Campbell County's way against Oliver Springs in their previous meeting back in May of 2021, as Campbell County made off with an 8-2 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.