The Hardin County Tigers will face off against the Scotts Hill Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hardin County's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Scotts Hill's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Hardin County took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Jackson North Side a 5-0 shutout.
Meanwhile, Scotts Hill was not the first on the board on Tuesday, but they got there more often. They had just enough and edged out Madison 6-5. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.
Cy Maness made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Silas Howard, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Jackson Crider, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Scotts Hill was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Scotts Hill's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-14-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Hardin County, their victory bumped their record up to 20-5.
Hardin County came up short against Scotts Hill when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 14-11. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
