The Booneville Blue Devils will head out to square off against the Yazoo County Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
16 must be Booneville's lucky number: they beat North Panola with that score not once but twice on Friday. The Blue Devils blew past the Fightn Cougars 16-1. Winning may never get old, but the Blue Devils sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Bennett Geno
| 04/17/26 vs North Panola | 2 |
| 04/10/26 @ Mantachie | 1 |
| 03/31/26 @ Alcorn Central | 1 |
| 02/28/26 vs Pine Grove | 1 |
| 02/19/26 vs Saltillo | 1 |
Bennett Geno was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Booneville got a massive performance out of Kylin Leslie, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Leslie is becoming a predictor of the Blue Devils' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 9-12 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Sandlin, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Booneville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .704. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Panola only posted an OBP of .250.
Meanwhile, Yazoo County put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Noxubee County a 17-0 shutout. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
Yazoo County let Josh Snow and Gabe Shaffer run wild. Snow went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Shaffer went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Broc Willingham was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Booneville's record now sits at 16-12. As for Yazoo County, their record is now 19-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Booneville has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Yazoo County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Booneville got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 against Yazoo County by a conclusive 17-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
