The Murray County Indians will venture away from home to face off against the Ridgeland Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Murray County has given up an average of 6.6 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Friday just wasn't the day for Murray County's offense. They came up short against Model on Friday, falling 13-0. Having soared to a lofty 13 runs in the game before, the Indians' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Ridgeland came tearing into Thursday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Mountaineers as they made off with a 12-4 win.
Stryker Harden tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ronnie Franklin, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. He has been hot recently, having also posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jax Middlebrooks, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Ridgeland's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 9.33 hits in those games compared to only five in the others. As for Murray County, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.
Murray County skirted past Ridgeland 6-5 when the teams last played back in March of 2022. Does Murray County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ridgeland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
