The Poplar Bluff Mules will head out to face off against the West Plains Zizzers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Poplar Bluff has three straight victories, West Plains has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Poplar Bluff's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Central.
Lillie Johnson made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Johnson was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Molly Eason was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three stolen bases, and four RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in October of 2024. Another player making a difference was Maddie Allbritton, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Poplar Bluff hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for West Plains' offense. They came up short against Marshfield on Tuesday, falling 10-0.
The win got Poplar Bluff back to even at 3-3. As for West Plains, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.
West Plains' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Poplar Bluff has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.7 hits per game. It's a different story for West Plains, though, as they've been averaging 9.2 hits. Given Poplar Bluff's sizable advantage in that area, the Zizzers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Poplar Bluff took their victory against West Plains in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mules since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
