The Cleveland Central Wolves will challenge the Pontotoc Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Cleveland Central sitting on four straight victories and Pontotoc on five.
Last Thursday, Cleveland Central made easy work of Yazoo City and carried off a 14-3 win. The Wolves might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 16 games by six runs or more this season.
Jada Kinney was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Makenah Jefferson, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Pontotoc ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They came out on top against Tupelo by a score of 8-5.
Olivia Galloway made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kelsy Spears, who went 1-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. McKenzie McDonald was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Cleveland Central's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pontotoc, their victory bumped their record up to 16-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Cleveland Central has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pontotoc struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Cleveland Central couldn't quite get it done against Pontotoc when the teams last played back in March of 2022 as they fell 8-5. Can the Wolves avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
