For the second straight game, Haleyville will face off against Curry. The Lions will head out to face off against the Yellowjackets at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Haleyville has 17 straight wins, Curry has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Haleyville barely beat Curry the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Lions were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Yellowjackets on Tuesday. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Jadyn Marbutt and Eli Cagle were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Marbutt tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Cagle struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Marbutt scored two runs while going 3-for-4, while Cagle scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. What's more, Marbutt posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cooper McNutt, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Evan Cagle was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Haleyville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Curry only posted a batting average of .217.
Haleyville pushed their record up to 20-6 with the victory, which was their 11th straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Curry, their loss dropped their record down to 8-13.
Curry's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Haleyville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .471. It's a different story for Curry, though, as they've only averaged .365. Will they be able to contain Haleyville's hitters? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
