The Smith County Owls will head out on the road to challenge the Stewarts Creek Red Hawks at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, Smith County put up the most runs they have all season on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Monterey an 18-0 shutout. Considering the Owls have won seven matches by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Jacob Lapham made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Bennett Gammon was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Max Long also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
Smith County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Monterey only managed two hits.
Meanwhile, Stewarts Creek had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They blew past Overton 17-10 on Thursday.
Micah Raybon looked comfortable as he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, Shawn Rhodes was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has become a key player for Stewarts Creek: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 12-13 otherwise. Ben Bryant was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Smith County has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Stewarts Creek, their record is now 17-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Smith County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Stewarts Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
