The Stanhope Elmore Mustangs will square off against the Auburn Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Stanhope Elmore took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Chilton County 7-1. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Tyler Woodham
| 03/04/25 vs Chilton County | 2 |
| 02/25/25 vs Smiths Station | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Prattville | 1 |
| 02/13/25 vs Tallassee | 1 |
Tyler Woodham spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jackson Hynes was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2. Tristin Wilson also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Auburn and Prattville, and Auburn kept the tradition alive. Auburn was the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over Prattville on Wednesday. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Will Whatley was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had over his last five contests. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 3-for-4. That's the most stolen bases he has posted over his last 12 games.
In other pitching news, Hank Brantley looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on JB Upton, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Weston Luther, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Auburn always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Stanhope Elmore's victory bumped their record up to 7-4. As for Auburn, with the win, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 8-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Stanhope Elmore has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Auburn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
