The Jackson County Blue Devils will venture away from home to challenge the Clay County Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Jackson County fell victim to Monterey and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They came up short against the Wildcats, falling 6-0. Considering the last time the Blue Devils couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.
Jackson County saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bryce Stafford, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, Clay County came into Thursday's contest having lost five straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Everything went their way against Pickett County on Thursday as they made off with an 11-1 win. Considering the Bulldogs' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Nolan Adams made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kolton Brown, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Davis, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Clay County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Clay County's record is now 9-14. As for Jackson County, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 12 of their last 15 matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-17 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Jackson County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Clay County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Jackson County might still be hurting after the 16-6 defeat they got from Clay County in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
