The Chaney Cowboys will venture away from home to square off against the Girard Indians at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Chaney has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with four straight defeats, while Girard will come in with four straight wins.
Chaney's last matchup with Leetonia could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's contest on Thursday. The Cowboys lost 14-4 to the Bears. The loss was just more heartbreak for the Cowboys, who fell 8-6 when the teams last met back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Girard). Everything went their way against Springfield on Thursday as they made off with a 13-3 victory. Considering the Indians have won four matchups by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Ja'Den Royal was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over 4.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs and three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Zach Ward was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Will Hynes, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Girard kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 11.6.
Girard pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Chaney, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
