Baseball Game Preview: Mitchell Mountaineers vs. Hampton Bulldogs

The Mitchell Mountaineers will venture away from home to take on the Hampton Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Mitchell will bounce into Thursday's match after beating McDowell, who they had gone 0-6 against in their six prior meetings. Mitchell came out on top against McDowell by a score of 10-6 on Monday. The win was some much needed relief for the Mountaineers as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak dating back to last season.

Mitchell got a great performance from Hudson Buchanan as he tossed 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits.

At the plate, Mitchell let AJ Mackey and Jacoby Dale run wild. Mackey went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one double, while Dale scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits Mackey has posted since back in March of 2024. Kaj Pitman also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hampton, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They won by a run and slipped past Johnson County 15-14. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since March 18, 2024.

The win got Hampton back to even at 2-2. As for Mitchell, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.

Mitchell beat Hampton 12-8 in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Will Mitchell repeat their success, or does Hampton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.