The Clay County Bulldogs will square off against the Jackson County Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Clay County will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
Clay County headed into their last contest having not scored more than two runs for three straight, but Pickett County let them put that streak behind them. The Bulldogs put the hurt on the Bobcats with a sharp 11-1 win on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Bobcats: they've now won six in a row.
Nolan Adams made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Clay County is 4-2 when he allows at most two walks, but 5-12 otherwise. Adams was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.
Kolton Brown
| 03/18/26 vs Red Boiling Springs | 3 |
| 04/30/26 vs Pickett County | 2 |
| 04/07/26 vs Jackson County | 2 |
| 03/19/26 @ Red Boiling Springs | 2 |
| 03/10/26 @ Livingston Academy | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
In other batting news, Kolton Brown was incredible, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Clay County's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 5-13 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Eli Davis, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Clay County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Jackson County's offense. They lost 6-0 to Monterey on Friday. That's two games in a row now that the Blue Devils have lost by exactly six runs.
Jackson County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bryce Stafford, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Jackson County has also traveled a rocky road recently, having lost 12 of their last 15 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-17 record this season. As for Clay County, their win bumped their record up to 9-14.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clay County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Jackson County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Clay County got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in April against Jackson County by a conclusive 16-6 score. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blue Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
