The Western Hills Wolverines are taking a road trip to square off against the Henry County Wildcats at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Western Hills' last matchup with Frederick Douglass could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's game on Friday. The Wolverines lost 7-1 to the Broncos. The loss continues a trend for the Wolverines in their meetings with the Broncos: they've now lost three in a row.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Henry County challenged Carroll County on Thursday. The Wildcats' pitcher stepped up to hand the Panthers a 13-0 shutout. With that victory, the Wildcats brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.
Jaylan Hortenbury made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs and six RBI while going 2-for-3. He also scored two runs, which is notable because Henry County is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, Henry County got a big performance out of Josh Shea, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs Shea has posted since back in March. Wyatt Ward was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Henry County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. They are 5-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Henry County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-11 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Western Hills, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-18-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Western Hills has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Henry County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Western Hills was able to grind out a solid victory over Henry County in their previous meeting back in May of 2025, winning 11-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wolverines since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
