The Brown County Hornets will take on the Camp Point Central Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Brown County barely beat Augusta Southeastern the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hornets were the clear victors by a 16-8 margin over the Suns on Wednesday. The win continues a trend for the Hornets in their matchups with the Suns: they've now won four in a row.
Jamie Loehr was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Lilly Ham, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Brown County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .622. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Camp Point Central came out on top against Mendon Unity on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive eight-run fifth inning. The Panthers blew past the Mustangs 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won ten matches by ten runs or more so far this season.
Emma Stephens made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Stephens was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lauren Miller, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Claire Huston was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Camp Point Central's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.4 runs over those games. As for Brown County, their victory bumped their record up to 6-18.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Brown County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .312. However, it's not like Camp Point Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .347. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Brown County suffered a grim 18-6 defeat to Camp Point Central when the teams last played back in March. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
