The Karns City Gremlins will venture away from home to challenge the Hickory Hornets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Karns City is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Karns City was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Clarion-Limestone on Tuesday. The Gremlins' pitcher stepped up to hand the Lions an 11-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Gremlins considering their one-run performance the game before.
Jacob Jones was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Karns City is undefeated when Jones posts two or more runs, but 0-4 otherwise.
Joey O'Donnell
| 04/22/25 vs Clarion-Limestone | 3 |
| 05/10/24 @ Moniteau | 2 |
| 04/10/24 vs Moniteau | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Westville | 1 |
| 05/01/24 @ Cranberry Area | 1 |
In other batting news, Brock Dittman and Joey O'Donnell did most of the damage at the plate: Dittman went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while O'Donnell went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave O'Donnell a new career-high. Brennan Harmon also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Hickory suffered their closest loss since May 18, 2024 on Wednesday. They fell just short of Sharon by a score of 7-5. The Hornets have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Matthew Myers was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits.
On the hitting side, Dante Evans made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Drew Manzo, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Hickory's defeat dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Karns City, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 5-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Karns City has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hickory struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Karns City couldn't quite finish off Hickory in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 and fell 6-4. Can the Gremlins avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
