The Smith County Owls will face off against the Upperman Bees at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Smith County will come into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
Smith County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Jackson County a 17-0 shutout on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Riley Martin was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and one double.
Bennett Gammon
| 03/25/25 @ Jackson County | 5 |
| 03/22/25 @ Pope John Paul II | 4 |
| 03/25/24 @ Jackson County | 3 |
| 03/13/24 vs Pope John Paul II | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs Cannon County | 2 |
In other batting news, Smith County got a massive performance out of Bennett Gammon, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave Gammon a new career-high. Jacob Lapham was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-5.
Smith County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in nine consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Upperman got the win against White County on Tuesday by a conclusive 12-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bees.
Like Smith County, Upperman also got a great game from a two-way player: Julian Llano. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Llano also tossed no walks, which is notable because Upperman is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 4-6 otherwise. Llano was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Carson Shupe was excellent, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Braden Green, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Upperman pushed their record up to 6-7 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Smith County, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
Smith County's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's contest. Smith County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Upperman, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Smith County continue to outrun the ball?
Smith County couldn't quite finish off Upperman in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 3-1. Can Smith County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
