Mitchell is 0-6 against Draughn since March of 2022 but things could change on Tuesday. Mitchell will challenge Draughn at 6:30 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Mitchell's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Rosman 10-0. The Mountaineers haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Riley Silver made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Mitchell's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't).
AJ Mackey
| 03/21/25 vs Rosman | 1 |
| 03/14/25 @ Johnson County | 1 |
| 03/13/25 @ Hampton | 1 |
In other batting news, AJ Mackey was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. He has become a key player for Mitchell: the team is undefeated when he posts at least one home run, but 2-4 otherwise. Jacoby Dale was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Mitchell was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Draughn waltzed into their contest on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They put the hurt on the Vikings with a sharp 13-3 win. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by ten runs or more this season.
Griffin Stephens made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jacob Mull, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Tyler Lange, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Draughn pushed their record up to 5-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Mitchell, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Draughn's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mitchell hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. It's a different story for Draughn, though, as they've only averaged .259. Will they be able to contain Mitchell's hitters?
Mitchell might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Draughn when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can Mitchell avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
