The Crab Orchard Trojans will take on the Pope County Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Crab Orchard has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since March 27.
Crab Orchard came up short against Massac County on Monday, falling 14-4.
Crab Orchard saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Noah Tuthill, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. Another was Carter Watts, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Pope County hadn't done well against Norris City-Omaha-Enfield recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Pirates' pitcher stepped up to hand the Fighting Cardinals a 6-0 shutout. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Pirates.
Tucker Nalley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. He has become a key player for Pope County: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 3-7 otherwise. Nalley was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Pope County got a big performance out of Hunter Steele, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Grayson Fritch was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Pope County's win bumped their record up to 7-8. As for Crab Orchard, their loss dropped their record down to 3-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crab Orchard has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pope County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Crab Orchard couldn't quite finish off Pope County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 9-7. Will the Trojans have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
