The South Pontotoc Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Bruce Trojans at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
South Pontotoc made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Ethel, but they still couldn't quite topple them. South Pontotoc was the clear victor by a 14-6 margin over Ethel on Thursday. Considering the Cougars have won ten games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Sammy Terry spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Jacee Mcclellan
| 03/27/25 @ Ethel | 2 |
| 03/25/25 @ East Webster | 1 |
| 03/17/25 @ Vardaman | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Starkville | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Choctaw County | 1 |
On the hitting side, Jacee Mcclellan was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all six of her plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (two). Preslee Austin was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all six of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bruce, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Palmer a 20-0 shutout on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Dragons: they've now won four in a row.
Sammie Gunter was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Gunter was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Bruce got a massive performance out of Addi Bailey, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Sadie Box, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-2.
Bruce always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .929. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
South Pontotoc has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. Bruce's record is now 8-9.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. South Pontotoc hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Bruce struggles in that department as they've averaged .369. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Pontotoc took their victory against Bruce in their previous matchup back in February by a conclusive 18-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for South Pontotoc since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
