Baseball Game Preview: Riley County Falcons vs. Abilene Cowboys

The Riley County Falcons will challenge the Abilene Cowboys on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Riley County will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Friday, then bounced right back against Chapman on Friday. The Falcons put the hurt on the Irish with a sharp 12-2 win. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Falcons as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Eli Harmison made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Harmison was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Brett Hopper was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Thompson, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.

Riley County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Abilene entered their tilt with Thomas More Prep-Marian on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They walked away with a 7-2 win over the Monarchs.

Riley County's victory bumped their record up to 7-11. As for Abilene, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.

Riley County suffered a grim 13-2 defeat to Abilene in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Falcons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.