Russell County hasn't had much luck against Rockcastle County recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Russell County Lakers will look to defend their home field against the Rockcastle County Rockets at 5:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Russell County blew Campbellsville out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Tuesday Campbellsville got their revenge. Russell County fell just short of Campbellsville by a score of 11-9. The loss was the Lakers' first of the season.
Brylie Hardwick put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
Rylen McGowan
| 03/18/25 @ Campbellsville | 3 |
| 03/10/25 vs Washington County | 2 |
| 03/19/24 @ Taylor County | 2 |
| 03/12/24 vs Campbellsville | 2 |
| 03/15/24 @ Barren County | 1 |
In other batting news, Rylen McGowan made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two doubles. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in hits (three). Another player making a difference was Addy Abrell, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Even though they lost, Russell County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Rockcastle County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss dating back to last season. They lost 13-3 to Frederick Douglass.
Rockcastle County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lauren Hensley, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Having lost for the first time this season, Russell County fell to 2-1. As for Rockcastle County, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.
Rockcastle County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Russell County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .400. It's a different story for Rockcastle County, though, as they've only averaged .196. Will they be able to contain Russell County's hitters?
Russell County might still be hurting after the 11-2 loss they got from Rockcastle County in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can Russell County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
