Softball Game Preview: McMinn Central Chargers vs. Polk County Wildcats

The McMinn Central Chargers are taking a road trip to take on the Polk County Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Last Tuesday, McMinn Central didn't have quite enough to beat Bradley Central and fell 9-7. That's two games in a row now that the Chargers have lost by exactly two runs.

Riley Thompson was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. She also put up an RBI, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Lily Graves, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Polk County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their 22nd straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 15-0 to Sweetwater.

This is the second loss in a row for McMinn Central and nudges their season record down to 2-3. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only two runs. As for Polk County, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.

McMinn Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Polk County in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 12-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for McMinn Central since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.