Morgan County hasn't had much luck against Russell recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Morgan County will welcome Russell at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Morgan County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Elliott County a 24-0 shutout on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won four in a row.
Will Lane made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Lane was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Cooper Fleming was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Brett Potter, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Morgan County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .806. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Russell is still undefeated this season after their contest against Lawrence County on Monday, but Lawrence County came as close as anyone has to beating them. Russell sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 victory over Lawrence County. While the Red Devils didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-22-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Like Morgan County, Russell also got a great game from a two-way player: Kyle Mokas. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Mokas was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Grayson Kiser, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Caden Criswell was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
Russell's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Morgan County, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Morgan County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .366. However, it's not like Russell struggles in that department as they've averaged .435. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Morgan County came up short against Russell in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 8-3. Will Morgan County have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
