The Sumrall Bobcats will face off against the Hattiesburg Tigers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Sumrall is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
It was a proper cat-fight when Sumrall faced off against Columbia on Thursday. The Bobcats put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 7-1 win. Considering the Bobcats have won 13 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Avery Smith
| 02/22/25 @ Northwest Rankin | 2 |
| 02/27/25 @ West Jones | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Purvis | 2 |
| 02/08/25 vs Mize | 3 |
| 02/13/25 vs Picayune | 3 |
Avery Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up ten Ks. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, Kara Applewhite was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Laura Smith, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Hattiesburg came up short against West Jones on Monday and fell 8-5. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Camiyah Craft was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Craft was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played.
In other batting news, Darriyah Walls made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole six bases while going 1-for-4. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Arihanna Faulkner, who scored a run and stole three bases.
Sumrall pushed their record up to 19-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Hattiesburg, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-7.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Sumrall hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .312. However, it's not like Hattiesburg struggles in that department as they've averaged .321. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sumrall took their victory against Hattiesburg in their previous meeting back in March of 2022 by a conclusive 19-0 score. Will the Bobcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
