The South Decatur Cougars will square off against the South Ripley Raiders at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. South Decatur will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
South Decatur lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Morristown, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Thursday's contest. The Cougars were the clear victors by an 18-10 margin over the Yellow Jackets on Thursday. The Cougars' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Grady Scudder was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up five earned (and five unearned) runs off seven hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-5 with five stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. He has become a key player for South Decatur: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-6 otherwise.
Toby Bishop
| 05/08/25 vs Morristown | 3 |
| 05/13/24 @ North Decatur | 2 |
| 05/07/25 @ Waldron | 1 |
| 04/23/25 @ Shawe Memorial | 1 |
| 05/15/24 vs North Decatur | 1 |
In other batting news, Corey Nugent and Toby Bishop did most of the damage at the plate: Nugent went 2-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and two doubles, while Bishop got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those three runs gave Bishop a new career-high. Another player making a difference was JP Scudder, who went 1-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run.
South Decatur kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for South Ripley's offense. They lost 7-0 to Switzerland County on Tuesday. The matchup marked the first time this season in which the Raiders were not able to get on the board.
South Decatur's win bumped their record up to 5-6. As for South Ripley, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-4.
South Decatur took their victory against South Ripley when the teams last played back in May of 2022 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
