The Pope County Pirates will head out on the road to take on the Century Centurions at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Pope County has given up an average of 9.5 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Pope County's last matchup with Goreville could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's contest last Wednesday. The Pirates came up short against the Blackcats, falling 11-3. The Pirates have struggled against the Blackcats recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Pope County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bella Fasolo, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Century). They put the hurt on Agape Christian with a sharp 20-3 victory on Thursday. The Centurions have beaten the Knights the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Knights has come to flipping the script.
Jaylee Vanmeter made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Vanmeter was even better at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Hayden Anderson was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Baylea Crain, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Century kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Century now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Pope County, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
Pope County suffered a grim 17-1 defeat to Century when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
