McCracken County has won 11 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Hickman County has won 11 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Mustangs will welcome the Falcons at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (McCracken County 2.4, Hickman County 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
McCracken County is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Kentucky's top teams: Marshall County, who was ranked 24th at the time (McCracken County was ranked fourth). The Mustangs were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Marshals on Tuesday. Considering the Mustangs have won 15 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, Hickman County hadn't done well against Ballard Memorial recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Falcons came out on top against the Bombers by a score of 9-4.
Blair Byassee made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.
In other batting news, Hickman County let Kylie Meshew and Kaylee Britton run wild. Meshew went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Britton went 2-for-3 with two runs. That's the most runs Meshew has posted since back in March. Bailey Childress was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Hickman County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ballard Memorial only managed six hits.
McCracken County has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 26-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Hickman County, their win bumped their record up to 14-7.
McCracken County took their victory against Hickman County when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 12-0 score. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
