Baseball Game Preview: McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers vs. Jenkins County War Eagles

McIntosh County Academy hasn't had much luck against Jenkins County recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Buccaneers will look to defend their home field against the War Eagles at 5:30 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

McIntosh County Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Treutlen 18-5 on Thursday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Buccaneers as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, Jenkins County came tearing into Wednesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Bluejackets a 10-0 shutout.

Chandler Cates and Hayden Harrison were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Cates struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Harrison pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Jenkins County is 2-1 when Cates allows one or fewer hits, but 6-13 otherwise. At bat, Cates went 1-for-3 with three RBI, while Harrison scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. Those two runs gave Harrison a new career-high.

In other batting news, Tyler Williams was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Jenkins County's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-14 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Ryley James, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.

Jenkins County's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-14. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for McIntosh County Academy, their win bumped their record up to 7-17.

McIntosh County Academy might still be hurting after the 12-5 loss they got from Jenkins County in their previous meeting on Tuesday. Will the Buccaneers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.