The Port St. Joe Tiger Sharks are taking a road trip to square off against the Cottondale Hornets at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Port St. Joe sitting on five straight victories and Cottondale on seven.
Port St. Joe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Franklin County. Considering the Tiger Sharks have won ten games by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jacob Hensley made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Baylor Partie, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Corban Butts, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Port St. Joe was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Franklin County only posted a batting average of .125.
Meanwhile, Cottondale hadn't done well against Blountstown recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Hornets skirted past the Tigers 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hornets have posted since March 14th.
Jaydon Gray was a standout: he went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Berry Scott, who went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Port St. Joe's record now sits at 17-10. As for Cottondale, their record is now 17-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Port St. Joe has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cottondale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Port St. Joe was able to grind out a solid victory over Cottondale when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 7-4. Do the Tiger Sharks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hornets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
