Baseball Game Preview: Kirbyville Wildcats vs. Hardin Hornets

The Kirbyville Wildcats will square off against the Hardin Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Kirbyville took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They skirted past Buna 5-3.

Kirbyville let Kaden Cloud and Braxton Jacks run wild. Cloud went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double, while Jacks scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. That double was Cloud's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Myers, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Hardin can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over Kountze.

Hardin's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kolten Bishop, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Another was Jayden DeJong, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.

Kirbyville is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. Hardin's victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 9-4.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Kirbyville has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hardin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Kirbyville was able to grind out a solid win over Hardin in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 7-3. Does Kirbyville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hardin turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.