After losing to Carterville the last time they met, Massac County decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The Patriots came out on top against the Lions by a score of 8-5 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Patriots.
Zach Maurer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five earned runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Massac County is 3-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 4-9 otherwise.

Ryan Musselman
| 04/24/26 vs Carterville | 3 |
| 04/21/26 @ Herrin | 2 |
| 04/17/26 vs Murphysboro | 1 |
| 04/10/26 vs Herrin | 1 |
| 04/07/26 vs Harrisburg | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
At the plate, Ryan Musselman was incredible, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Adan Mizell, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Massac County's record now sits at 7-10. As for Carterville, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-5.
Coming up, Massac County will square off against Hardin County at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Cougars' pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so the Patriots' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Carterville, they will host Murphysboro at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Red Devils have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 11.58 runs per game on average), something the Lions will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps