The Owen County Rebels will square off against the Shelby County Rockets at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Shelby County took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Owen County, who comes in off a win.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Owen County and Gallatin County meet (six straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Rebels were the clear victors by an 18-1 margin over the Wildcats. The result was nothing new for the Rebels, who have now won 13 matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Sophia Perry made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Perry was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Abigayle Dempsey was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Hallie Tirey, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Owen County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Shelby County unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of Paul Laurence Dunbar by a score of 10-9.
Kendall Carnes stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. Another player making a difference was Madison Clark, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Owen County pushed their record up to 17-13 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Shelby County, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-12.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Owen County has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .488. However, it's not like Shelby County struggles in that department as they've averaged .440. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Owen County got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in April against Shelby County by a conclusive 16-2 score. Do the Rebels have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rockets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
