The Ozark Tigers are taking a road trip to challenge the Har-Ber Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Ozark is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Ozark was handed a nine-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over Lebanon. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Cooper Pumphrey
| 04/24/25 vs Lebanon | 10 |
| 04/17/25 vs Neosho | 8 |
| 04/10/25 vs Carthage | 7 |
| 04/01/25 @ Republic | 10 |
| 03/27/25 vs Springdale | 9 |
Ozark got a great performance from Cooper Pumphrey as he struck out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits. Pumphrey has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Luke Baer and Quentin Combs did most of the damage at the plate: Baer got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Combs went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. That's the most hits Combs has posted since back in March. Joratio Soto also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Har-Ber waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Mavericks with a sharp 13-5 victory.
BLAINE VAN HILSEN made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. VAN HILSEN was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
In other batting news, Har-Ber let JAXON PICKARD and LUKE CORNELISON run wild. PICKARD got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while CORNELISON got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of AIDEN EVANS, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Har-Ber pushed their record up to 16-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Ozark, their record is now 15-5.
Ozark suffered a grim 8-1 defeat to Har-Ber in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
