The Leslie County Eagles will head out to square off against the Harlan Green Dragons at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Leslie County has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Leslie County is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Letcher County Central just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 9-8.
Rylan Simpson
| 05/07/26 @ Letcher County Central | 4 |
| 04/17/26 @ Lee County | 3 |
| 04/01/26 @ Buckhorn | 3 |
| 04/27/26 @ Pike County Central | 2 |
| 04/23/26 vs Morgan County | 2 |
| + 11 more games |
Rylan Simpson made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 4-for-6 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. He is becoming a predictor of Leslie County's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is 2-1 (and 10-13 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Brayden Holland, who got on base in four of his seven plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Harlan hadn't done well against Perry County Central recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Green Dragons' pitcher stepped up to hand the Commodores a 3-0 shutout.
The result came thanks to Baylor Varner's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up 18 Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Eli Freyer, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
Harlan has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Leslie County, their loss dropped their record down to 12-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Leslie County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Harlan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
