The McLean County Cougars will venture away from home to challenge the Bowling Green Purples at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. McLean County is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 12 games.
On Thursday, McLean County made easy work of Ohio County and carried off an 8-1 victory. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Jax Lee
| 05/01/25 vs Ohio County | 2 |
| 04/26/25 @ Perry Central | 1 |
| 04/23/25 @ Hart County | 1 |
Jax Lee spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Connor Mitchuson, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Corbin Martin, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against the Cougars.
Grayson Newman was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Newman was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
In other pitching news, Eli Kries looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
Newman wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Drew Isenberg, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Bowling Green hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least one batters in three consecutive games.
McLean County's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Bowling Green, their record is now 15-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. McLean County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Bowling Green struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
