The Shady Spring Tigers will take on the Capital Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Shady Spring has three straight victories, Capital has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
If Shady Spring beats Capital with nine runs on Thursday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Tigers walked away with a 9-6 win over Liberty on Monday.
Sam Barnett made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most doubles he has posted over his last 11 matchups.
In other batting news, Kayden Lester was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Cutter Boggs, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one triple.
Meanwhile, Capital fell victim to Riverside and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 1-0.
Capital saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jace Wilkinson, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Capital's loss dropped their record down to 9-21. As for Shady Spring, their victory bumped their record up to 22-6.
Capital's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Shady Spring hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. It's a different story for Capital, though, as they've only averaged .193. Will they be able to contain Shady Spring's hitters?
Shady Spring got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in April against Capital by a conclusive 12-1 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
