Junction City waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Fordyce Redbugs. That's more bragging rights for the Dragons, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.
Jaxon Temple spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Junction City is 6-0-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 5-9 otherwise.
Reid Cates
| 04/10/26 vs Fordyce | 3 |
| 03/28/26 vs Horatio | 3 |
| 03/05/26 vs Harmony Grove | 3 |
| 03/31/26 vs Woodlawn | 2 |
| 03/24/26 vs Claiborne Academy | 2 |
| + 10 more games |
At the plate, Junction City let Nemo Caldwell and Reid Cates run wild. Caldwell went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Cates went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Cates is becoming a predictor of Junction City's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 6-8-1 when he doesn't). Joe Thompson was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Junction City hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive games.
Junction City's victory bumped their record up to 11-9-1. As for Fordyce, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 10-9.
We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Junction City will square off against rival Hampton at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Fordyce is set to take on their familiar foe Poyen at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
