McNairy Central is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Lexington is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Bobcats will host the Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. McNairy Central will aim to continue their four-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
McNairy Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Jackson North Side get on the board and left with a 22-0 win on Tuesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Bobcats with their most commanding win of the season.
Kenli Bingham and Chanley Steele made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Bingham tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Steele pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At bat, Bingham scored two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances, while Steele scored a run while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances. That's the most runs Bingham has posted over her last 11 matches.
In other batting news, Bailee Shelton and Haylee Wilson did most of the damage at the plate: Shelton scored two runs while going 2-for-2, while Wilson went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs and four RBI. Those four RBI gave Wilson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Paige Mercer, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
McNairy Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .667. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .375 or higher in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Lexington ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-7 victory over Jackson South Side.
Lexington let Holly Bartholomew and Lane Huskey run wild. Bartholomew scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-5, while Huskey scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Kinley Melton, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
McNairy Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Lexington, their victory bumped their record up to 19-8-2.
Lexington's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. McNairy Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lexington, though, as they've been averaging only 3 strikeouts. Will McNairy Central keep running through batters, or will the Tigers buck the trend?
McNairy Central might still be hurting after the 9-3 loss they got from Lexington when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Bobcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
