Baseball Preview: Jefferson County Tigers vs. Maclay Marauders
Jefferson County is 0-3 against Maclay since March of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Jefferson County Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Maclay Marauders at 4:00 p.m. Maclay took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Jefferson County, who comes in off a win.
After only two runs in their last match, Jefferson County made sure to put some runs up on the board against Gadsden County on Tuesday. Jefferson County sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 12-11 win over Gadsden County.
Charles Boyd made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Boyd was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Lanzavian Footman and Levi Carrol did most of the damage at the plate: Footman went 2-for-4 with four RBI, a stolen base, and a run, while Carrol scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Marcos Vargas, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Maclay lost a close one when they played on Thursday but unfortunately for them the loss they were handed on on Tuesday was a bit more commanding. They suffered a tough 10-4 defeat at the hands of Chiles. Maclay just can't catch a break and has now endured three losses in a row.
Maclay saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Wagnon, who scored a run while going 4-for-4. Wagnon has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Jefferson County's record now sits at 5-12. As for Maclay, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Jefferson County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Maclay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Jefferson County suffered a grim 19-3 defeat to Maclay in their previous matchup back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Maclay's Hunter Smith, who struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Now that Jefferson County knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
