The Holmes County Blue Devils will square off against the Destin Sharks at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Holmes County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Holmes County might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 6-2 to Opp, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Blue Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Savannah Ludwig was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Holmes County saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jacee Bowers, who went 1-for-4 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Destin got themselves on the board against Mosley on Tuesday, but Mosley never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Dolphins. Considering the Sharks have won 11 matches by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Aspen Benscoter, who gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Mosley off the board.
On the hitting side, Lyliana Kessler and Anita Palmer did most of the damage at the plate: Kessler went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Palmer went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI Kessler has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Sophia Ryals, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Destin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Holmes County's loss dropped their record down to 14-8. As for Destin, their win bumped their record up to 13-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Holmes County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Destin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Holmes County took their victory against Destin in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 12-4 score. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Sharks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
