The Live Oak Eagles will take on the Dunham Tigers at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Live Oak's pitching crew has only allowed two runs per game this season, so Dunham's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Last Friday, Live Oak didn't have quite enough to beat Sulphur and fell 2-1. The loss was the Eagles' first of the season.
Live Oak got a good showing from Trevor Hodges, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Furthermore, Hodges didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in February of 2024.
At the plate, Live Oak saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cooper Smith, who went 1-for-3 with one double. That double marked the first that Smith's hit this season.
Meanwhile, Dunham had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They never let the Falcons onto the board and left with an 8-0 win. That's two games straight that the Tigers have won by exactly eight runs.
Cole Richter looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run every time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Dunham let August Scott and Gabe Greene loose on the outfield. Scott scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Greene got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and two RBI. That's the most runs Scott has posted since back in March of 2024. Jackson Peyton was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Dunham hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts every time they've taken the field this season.
The victory got Dunham back to even at 3-3. As for Live Oak, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.
Live Oak came out on top in a nail-biter against Dunham when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 8-7. Does Live Oak have another victory up their sleeve, or will Dunham turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
