The Liberty County Bulldogs will challenge the Cottondale Hornets at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row dating back to last season, Liberty County turned things around against Sneads on Monday. They had just enough and edged out the Pirates 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted against the Pirates since February 27, 2020.
Jason Walker tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Liberty County's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Sy Shiver, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI. That stolen base was Shiver's first of the season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cottondale, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Vernon a 16-0 shutout on Thursday. The Hornets haven't had any issues with the Yellowjackets recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Conner Barton was a major factor no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Cottondale is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 2-4 otherwise. Barton was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
In other batting news, Lane Pelfrey and Justin Miller did most of the damage at the plate: Pelfrey scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-2, while Miller scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jaydon Gray, who scored three runs while going 2-for-2.
Cottondale kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Liberty County's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Cottondale, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.
Liberty County came out on top in a nail-biter against Cottondale in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, sneaking past 4-3. Will Liberty County repeat their success, or does Cottondale have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
