Hancock County has gone a perfect 10-0 against McLean County recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Hornets are taking a road trip to square off against the Cougars at 5:30 p.m. McLean County took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hancock County, who comes in off a win.
On Thursday, Hancock County was able to grind out a solid victory over Perry Central, taking the game 7-3. The Hornets haven't had any issues with the Commodores recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Bella Bryant
| 05/01/25 vs Perry Central | 1 |
| 04/21/25 @ Castle | 2 |
| 04/18/25 @ South Spencer | 1 |
| 04/15/25 vs Apollo | 1 |
Bella Bryant was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Baylee Estes was excellent, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. Another player making a difference was Jordyn Waltrip, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for McLean County's offense. They came up short against Muhlenberg County on Thursday, falling 15-0. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Cougars' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
McLean County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava McCarty, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base. Leah Searcy also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Hancock County's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-8. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.1 runs over those games. As for McLean County, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8-1.
McLean County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hancock County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. It's a different story for McLean County, though, as they've only averaged .162. Will they be able to contain Hancock County's hitters?
Everything went Hancock County's way against McLean County in their previous meeting back in March, as Hancock County made off with a 15-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
