The Owen County Rebels will face off against the Grant County Braves at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Owen County is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Walton-Verona just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 6-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bearcats. The match marked the Rebels' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Owen County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Smith, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Grant County, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They blew past Western Hills 12-3 on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Braves, who have now won five games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Braiden Beach made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Beach was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Seth Tucker was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Braylon Rodriguez was another key player, scoring four runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Grant County pushed their record up to 6-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Owen County, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Owen County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grant County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Owen County couldn't quite get it done against Grant County when the teams last played back in March of 2024 as they fell 5-0. Can the Rebels avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
