Jackson Prep faced Hartfield Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Patriots fell just short of the Hawks by a score of 8-6. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Hawks this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 11-2 back in March.
Matthew McKinley put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Jackson Prep got a good showing from Bodie Akins, who pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Akins has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two hits in ten consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Parker Puckett made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Tre' Bryant, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Patriots
| 04/08/25 @ Hartfield Academy | 6-8 |
| 04/04/25 @ St. Joseph Catholic | 19-2 |
| 04/03/25 vs St. Joseph Catholic | 13-1 |
| 04/01/25 @ St. Joseph Catholic | 6-1 |
| 03/28/25 vs Madison-Ridgeland Academy | 1-4 |
The defeat snapped Jackson Prep's winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 16-8-1 record. As for Hartfield Academy, they pushed their record up to 20-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home.
While Jackson Prep had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
