The Park Hill South Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Poplar Bluff Mules at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Park Hill South barely beat North Kansas City the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Panthers blew past the Hornets 13-5 on Wednesday. The win continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Hornets: they've now won five in a row.
Meanwhile, Poplar Bluff entered their tilt with Cooter on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Wildcats.
Dylan Hall made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Hall was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other pitching news, Drew Cooper looked comfortable as he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, Poplar Bluff got a massive performance out of Kade Huffman, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave Huffman a new career-high. Brandt Bell was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two triples and two runs.
Poplar Bluff hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive contests.
Park Hill South pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Poplar Bluff, their record now sits at 7-4.
Park Hill South was able to grind out a solid victory over Poplar Bluff when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 10-7. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Mules have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
