The Smackover Buckaroos will take on the Genoa Central Dragons at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Genoa Central will be up against a hot Smackover squad: the team just extended their winning streak to 14. The Buckaroos never let Harmony Grove get on the board and left with an 11-0 win on Friday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Emily Camacho was excellent, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylyn Crawford, who got on base in two of her three plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Genoa Central got the win against Prescott on Friday by a conclusive 10-4.
Emily McGuire spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Rylee Fike, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Kelsie Fowler also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Smackover pushed their record up to 14-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Genoa Central, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Smackover hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Genoa Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .350. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Smackover's way against Genoa Central when the teams last played back in April of 2019, as Smackover made off with a 12-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Buckaroos since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
