The Eufaula Tigers will square off against the Pike County Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Pike County will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Eufaula extended their winning streak to four on Thursday. The Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand Abbeville a 16-0 shutout. Considering the Tigers have won ten games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Jade Barnett made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Layla Nowlin was incredible, going 1-for-2 with five stolen bases and two runs. Those five stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Conleight Sawyer, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs.
Eufaula hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Pike County made easy work of Goshen on Thursday and carried off a 19-0 victory.
Like Eufaula, Pike County also got a great game from a two-way player: Skileigh Sharp. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Sharp was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two triples, two stolen bases, and four RBI while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Leah Dixon, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and four runs. Morgan Gardner was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Eufaula's win bumped their record up to 13-18. As for Pike County, their victory bumped their record up to 6-15.
Eufaula got the 'W' when the teams last played back in February against Pike County by a conclusive 16-1 score. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
