The Taylor County Cardinals will face off against the Meade County Green Waves at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Taylor County 2.8, Meade County 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Friday, Taylor County had just enough and edged out Male 6-5.
Cole McLean was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabe Cole, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Meade County beat Marion County 6-2 on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Green Waves.
Jeffrey Johnson tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Grayson Rhodes, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. John Honaker was another key player, going 2-for-6 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Meade County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Marion County only managed four hits.
Taylor County has been performing well recently as they've won 14 of their last 17 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Meade County, their win bumped their record up to 18-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Taylor County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Meade County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Taylor County beat Meade County 6-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will the Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Green Waves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
