The Rushville Lions will be taking part in a tournament against the Hagerstown Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Rushville took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They blew past North Decatur 15-9. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
The team relied heavily on Kyleigh Glandon, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Eliza Snow also deserves some recognition as she scored her first runs of the season.
Rushville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hagerstown won against Wapahani on Friday with 12 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Tigers beat Union City by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 12-2. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Indians recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Hagerstown got a massive performance out of Allison Stinson, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Elly Cheesman was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Rushville moved to 2-4 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Hagerstown, their record is now 4-0.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Rushville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .500. However, it's not like Hagerstown struggles in that department as they've averaged .543. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rushville beat Hagerstown 5-1 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
