Ash Grove and Early are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2016, but likely not for long. The Pirates will venture away from home to square off against the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Monday, Ash Grove was able to grind out a solid win over Weaubleau, taking the game 7-4.
Ethan Johnson
| 04/07/25 @ Weaubleau | 8 |
| 04/01/25 vs Mansfield | 3 |
| 04/18/24 @ Marionville | 3 |
| 05/04/24 @ Ava | 2 |
Ethan Johnson made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Ty Messley was incredible, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3. Kyler Reece was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Early had just enough and edged out Pleasant Hope 6-5 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won nine in a row.
The team relied heavily on Lucas Cutler, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. That double marked the first that he hit this season.
Early pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Ash Grove, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Ash Grove beat Early 7-4 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
