The McLean County Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Grayson County Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
McLean County took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 9-1 margin over Hancock County. The victory was a breath of fresh air for McLean County as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
McLean County let Ayden Rice and Connor Mitchuson loose on the outfield. Rice scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Mitchuson scored a run while going 3-for-5. The team also got some help courtesy of Houston Whitaker, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with a stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Grayson County had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Eagles a 16-0 shutout.
Jeren Vanmeter made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Vanmeter was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Levi Rogers, who scored three runs while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Landon Haycraft, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
McLean County's record now sits at 18-11. As for Grayson County, their record now sits at 14-10.
McLean County suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to Grayson County when the teams last played back in April of 2021. Can McLean County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
