The Malone Tigers will venture away from home to face off against the Poplar Springs Atomics at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Malone has given up an average of 9.3 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Malone came up short against Sneads on Tuesday, falling 21-2. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Pirates recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Hoke Harkrider
| 03/11/25 vs Sneads | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs Poplar Springs | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Ponce De Leon | 3 |
| 03/04/25 @ Altha | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Vernon | 6 |
| + 6 more games |
Malone saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hoke Harkrider, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Harkrider has been hot for a while, having posted at least one stolen base the last 11 times he's played.
Meanwhile, Poplar Springs started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Altha. They lost 13-3 to the Wildcats on Tuesday. That's two games in a row now that the Atomics have lost by exactly ten runs.
Landen Gammons put in work no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Malone now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Poplar Springs, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Malone has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Poplar Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Malone's way against Poplar Springs in their previous matchup on Friday, as Malone made off with a 10-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Malone since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
