The Bell Bulldogs will play host again on Thursday to welcome the Taylor County Bulldogs, where first pitch is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Bell put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 15-5 margin over Countryside Christian. With that victory, Bell brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Jackson Philman and Zane McArdle made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Philman pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. Meanwhile, McArdle pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Philman has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Philman scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while McArdle scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Bell let Rocco Iovinelli and Jordan Spears loose on the outfield. Iovinelli went 2-for-4 with five RBI, a stolen base, and a double, while Spears scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-2. Jayden Lopez was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases.
Meanwhile, while Taylor County put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Gadsden County. Taylor County put the hurt on Gadsden County with a sharp 11-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Taylor County considering their one-run performance the match before.
Like Bell, Taylor County also got a great game from a pair of two-way players: Triston Murphy. Throwing, Murphy pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also only allowed one walk). Meanwhile, Caleb Ondash pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). At bat, Murphy scored two runs while getting on base in all two of his plate appearances, while Ondash went 1-for-3 with four RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Jackson Taylor was excellent, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Baylor Johnson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Bell's victory bumped their record up to 8-6. As for Taylor County, they pushed their record up to 5-7 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bell has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Taylor County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
