Clay County hasn't had much luck against South Laurel recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Tigers will be playing at home against the Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Clay County's win against Harlan County wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Black Bears a 2-0 shutout on Thursday. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Black Bears recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
The result came thanks to Abby Bowling's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Presley Griffin, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, South Laurel had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They blew past the Eagles 10-3. Considering the Cardinals have won 19 matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Kenzie Williams made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). Williams was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, R Bretz was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, four RBI, and one run. That's the most doubles she has posted over her last seven contests. Morgan Jackson was another key player, going 4-for-5 with three runs and one double.
South Laurel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .463. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Madison Southern only posted a batting average of .222.
South Laurel pushed their record up to 25-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.2 runs over those games. As for Clay County, their win bumped their record up to 10-13.
Clay County might still be hurting after the 7-1 defeat they got from South Laurel in their previous matchup back in April. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
