The Sneads Pirates will square off against the Cottondale Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Sneads is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over Malone. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Conner McSpaddin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, John Loftus was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Creed Whitworth, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Sneads always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .636. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Malone only posted an OBP of .222.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cottondale). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Poplar Springs a 16-0 shutout on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Hornets in their matchups with the Atomics: they've now won seven in a row.
The team relied heavily on Lane Johnson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Cottondale: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 9-10 otherwise. Conner Barton was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Sneads' record is now 19-6. As for Cottondale, their record now sits at 13-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sneads has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cottondale struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Sneads couldn't quite get it done against Cottondale in their previous matchup back in April of 2025 as they fell 7-2. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
