Grainger is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Elizabethton is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Grainger Grizzlies will take on the Elizabethton Fighting Cyclones at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The pair are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Grainger only won by two when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-point they dealt Greeneville on Tuesday. Grainger blew past Greeneville 11-1.
Alison Byrd made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Byrd has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Byrd was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, McKenna Kee was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. McKinley Mills was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Elizabethton stacked an eighth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Wednesday. They beat Hampton by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 10-0. Give Elizabethton's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Elizabethton got a big performance out of Sadie Williams, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI and a run. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Kellerman, who scored three runs and stole three bases.
Grainger's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Elizabethton, their win bumped their record up to 10-3.
Friday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Grainger hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .376. However, it's not like Elizabethton struggles in that department as they've averaged .448. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Grainger suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Elizabethton in their previous matchup back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Elizabethton's Lela Byrd, who struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Now that Grainger knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
