Puckett hasn't had much luck against Mize recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Wolves will square off against the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Puckett is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Everything went their way against West Lincoln as they made off with an 11-1 win. The Wolves haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Eli Rankin
| 04/19/25 vs West Lincoln | 6 |
| 04/04/25 vs Raleigh | 5 |
| 03/22/25 @ Stringer | 5 |
| 03/22/24 vs Pisgah | 5 |
| 03/11/24 vs Lake | 3 |
Eli Rankin made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Matt Rankin and Truitte Carter did most of the damage at the plate: Matt went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Carter went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those two stolen bases gave Carter a new career-high. Wilkes Carter was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Bulldogs on Friday. Mize never let Bay Springs get on the board and left with a 14-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Mize.
Parker Himmel was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Graham Davis, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Mize was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .400 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Puckett pushed their record up to 18-7 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for Mize, their record now sits at 20-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Puckett has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mize struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Puckett came out on top in a nail-biter against Mize when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Wolves repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
