The Marion County Knights will take on the Nelson County Cardinals at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Marion County hasn't scored more than two runs for three games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Marion County's last matchup with Campbellsville could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's matchup on Wednesday. The Knights came up short against the Eagles, falling 16-2.
Noah Spalding made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Nelson County, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Fairdale with a sharp 14-4 victory on Wednesday. The Cardinals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by nine runs or more this season.
E Rogers was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Rogers was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Nelson County's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-5-1 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Kaden Simpson was a standout: he scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of D Minter, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Nelson County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Nelson County pushed their record up to 7-5-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Marion County, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Marion County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nelson County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Marion County might still be hurting after the 14-7 loss they got from Nelson County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Knights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
