McCallie and McMinn County are an even 4-4 against one another since February of 2017, but likely not for long. The Blue Tornado will head out to square off against the Cherokees at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. McCallie will be strutting in after a win while McMinn County will be coming in after a defeat.
McCallie not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since May 9, 2024. They blew past Napoleon 10-0. Ten seems to be a good number for the Blue Tornado as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Peyton McAllister
| 03/25/25 @ Knoxville Catholic | 5 |
| 03/03/25 @ Soddy Daisy | 2 |
Peyton McAllister tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because McCallie is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-9 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Chandler Jones, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3. McCallie is 2-1 when Jones posts three or more hits, but 5-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Carter Noland, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
McCallie was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.
The home team had won the previous two meetings between McMinn County and Cleveland, and Cleveland kept the tradition alive. The Cherokees took a 9-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blue Raiders on Thursday.
McCallie pushed their record up to 7-10 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for McMinn County, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-9 record this season.
Everything went McCallie's way against McMinn County when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as McCallie made off with a 13-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Tornado since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
