Baseball Game Preview: Massac County Patriots vs. Carterville Lions

The Massac County Patriots will challenge the Carterville Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Massac County 2.7, Carterville 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Massac County came up short against Murphysboro on Saturday, falling 8-2. The match marked the Patriots' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Massac County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Jennings, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Carterville has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.64 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Saturday. They took an 11-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of Tolono Unity. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game that the away team has come away the victor.

Parker Poole was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Alex Lyell, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.

Carterville moved to 8-3 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for Massac County, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 9-1.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Massac County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Carterville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Massac County was able to grind out a solid win over Carterville in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 8-3. Do the Patriots have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.