Sumrall is on an 11-game streak of home wins, while East Central is on a nine-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Bobcats will host the Hornets at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Sumrall is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over Vancleave.
Emma Pope spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on two hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kynnedy Lumpkins, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
East Central let South Jones stack four runs on them in the seventh inning on Monday but luckily East Central prevailed anyway. The Hornets came out on top in a nail-biter against the Braves, sneaking past 7-5.
East Central also got a great performance from Destiny Tolbert as she tossed 6.1 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Tolbert has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 18 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Grace Tanner was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Angelina Gutierrez, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
East Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive contests.
Sumrall's victory bumped their record up to 29-5. As for East Central, their win bumped their record up to 28-4.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Sumrall hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .401. However, it's not like East Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .362. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Sumrall's way against East Central in their previous meeting back in February, as Sumrall made off with a 13-0 victory. Will the Bobcats repeat their success, or do the Hornets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
