The Loyd Star Hornets are taking a road trip to take on the Lawrence County Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Loyd Star is coming into the contest hot, having won their last six games.
Loyd Star's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over West Lincoln.
Layla Burt made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adi Holcomb, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Maddie Kate Britt, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Lawrence County made easy work of Richland on Thursday and carried off an 11-5 win. Considering the Cougars have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Adaya Ball was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Addie Raye Pennington was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Lawrence County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Lawrence County is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Loyd Star, they pushed their record up to 15-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road.
Loyd Star's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's matchup. The Hornets have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Lawrence County, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Loyd Star continue to outrun the ball?
Loyd Star skirted past Lawrence County 3-2 in their previous matchup back in February. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
