The Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles will take on the Tullahoma Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Shelbyville Central 3.4, Tullahoma 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Thursday, Shelbyville Central got the win against Franklin County by a conclusive 8-2. Considering the Golden Eagles have won 13 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Palmer Edwards was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted over his last ten matches.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on William Bobo, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Stephen Bobo, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.
Shelbyville Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Franklin County only posted an OBP of .207.
Meanwhile, Tullahoma entered their tilt with Community on Friday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Vikings/Viqueens a 4-0 shutout. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Like Shelbyville Central, Tullahoma also got a great game from a two-way player: Hunter Hogan. On the mound, Hogan pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Andrew Fulmer tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At the plate, Hogan went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Fulmer went a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mason Bratcher, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Shelbyville Central is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 17 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 24-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Tullahoma, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Shelbyville Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Tullahoma struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
