Polk County had lost ten straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped down to 1-3 to make it 11. They fell just short of the Tellico Plains Bears by a score of 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Wildcats have suffered since April 1, 2025.
Zellah Branham was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Branham was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Branham wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Makenzie Gentry, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
As for Tellico Plains, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory they have posted since April 18, 2025.
Like Polk County, Tellico Plains also got a great game from a two-way player: Skyler Day. She struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. That's the most strikeouts Day has posted since back in April of 2025. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played dating back to last season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Polk County will venture away from home to challenge Murphy at 4:30 p.m. on the 30th. As for Tellico Plains, they will head out to take on Rockwood at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
