The Leon Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Madison County Cowboys at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Leon sitting on three straight victories and Madison County on five.
Leon took a seven-run defeat the last time they faced off against Aucilla Christian, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Lions narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Warriors 7-5. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Taylor Winfield made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Winfield was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Cynthia Conte was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Kierstyn Fuller, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Madison County beat Lincoln 6-1 on Monday. That's two games straight that the Cowboys have won by exactly five runs.
Alden Bass spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Madison County's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Logan Bass, who scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Rihanna Williams also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Madison County's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Leon, their record is now 15-6.
Both Leon and Madison County just can't seem to miss. The Lions have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Madison County struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Leon might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from Madison County in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
