The Bullard Panthers will take on the Hargrave Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Bullard 2.6, Hargrave 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Bullard is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They walked away with a 7-2 win over Vidor. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Jackson Holt was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Holt wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ethan Foster, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Dylan Fowler was another, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hargrave). Everything went their way against Furr on Thursday as they made off with a 21-0 victory. Considering the Falcons have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Bullard, Hargrave also got a great game from a two-way player: Braydon Wisener. He struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Wisener has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and one double.
In other pitching news, Logan Gruber looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Hargrave let Dylan Martin and Bryce Nixon run wild. Martin went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Nixon went a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Martin also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Zane Bailey, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Hargrave always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .784. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Hargrave is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-8-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Bullard, their record now sits at 25-7.
