Baseball Game Preview: Gilmer Buckeyes vs. Kilgore Bulldogs

For the second straight game, Gilmer will face off against Kilgore. The Buckeyes will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Gilmer's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matchups, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Gilmer lost 8-2 to Kilgore on Tuesday.

For Kilgore's part, Cason Edney made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Edney has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Joe Hendrickson, who scored a run while going 3-for-3. Kilgore is 2-1 when Hendrickson posts three or more hits, but 9-13-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Miles Applegate, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Kilgore kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Kilgore is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-14-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Gilmer, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-10.