The Poplar Springs Atomics will head out on the road to take on the Geneva County Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Poplar Springs has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with six straight defeats, while Geneva County will come in with seven straight wins.
Poplar Springs came up short against Laurel Hill on Wednesday, falling 18-8.
McKenzie Bell made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole four bases. Marissa Bollon was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Geneva County got the win against Graceville on Thursday by a conclusive 19-2. The contest marked the Bulldogs' most dominant victory of the season.
Kaylee Watson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Maci Strickland and Addie Mae Habbard did most of the damage at the plate: Strickland scored four runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Habbard scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those four stolen bases gave Strickland a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaden-Scott Majors, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Geneva County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .628 or higher in three consecutive games.
Geneva County pushed their record up to 10-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Poplar Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Poplar Springs has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Geneva County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Poplar Springs might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Geneva County in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can the Atomics avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
