Baseball Game Preview: Marion County Red Raiders vs. Hubbertville Lions

For the second straight game, Marion County will face off against Hubbertville. The Red Raiders will head out on the road to challenge the Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Marion County has given up an average of 10.7 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

The home team had come away the winner the last four times Marion County and Hubbertville had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Red Raiders lost 16-1 to the Lions on Tuesday. The Red Raiders have struggled against the Lions recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

For Hubbertville's part, Cole Brand made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave Brand a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.

In other batting news, Hubbertville let Tucker Bowen and Tj Keeton run wild. Bowen scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Keeton scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. What's more, Keeton posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March. Ceth Hollingsworth also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Hubbertville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

The win (which was Hubbertville's tenth in a row) raised their record to 14-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Marion County, their loss dropped their record down to 4-16.