Dawson-Bryant is 2-8 against Ironton since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Hornets will be playing at home against the Fighting Tigers at 5:30 p.m. Dawson-Bryant will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.
Dawson-Bryant's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Chesapeake as they made off with a 12-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won seven matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Kendall Taylor
| 04/30/25 vs Chesapeake | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs Gallia Academy | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Minford | 2 |
| 04/08/24 vs South Point | 2 |
| 04/28/25 vs Fairland | 1 |
Dawson-Bryant let Izzy Kitts and Kendall Taylor run wild. Kitts went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Taylor went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those four RBI gave Taylor a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Ironton earned a 6-2 win over Gallia Academy on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Fighting Tigers in their matchups with the Blue Devils: they've now won five in a row.
Ava Bihl made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 13 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Ironton got a massive performance out of Aubrey Ferguson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Khamil Martin, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Ironton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are a perfect 15-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Dawson-Bryant's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for Ironton, their win bumped their record up to 17-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dawson-Bryant has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ironton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Dawson-Bryant took their victory against Ironton when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 11-4 score. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Fighting Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
