Horn Lake had lost three straight at home, but on Thursday they dropped down to 4-18 to make it four. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 14-0 to the Independence Wildcats, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Eagles of the 9-5 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in February of 2023.
As for Independence, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games.
For Independence's part, not much got past Rick Golden, who gave up just four hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Horn Lake off the board. Golden has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Austin Eddie was a standout: he went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Austin Johnson, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
Coming up, Horn Lake will venture away from home to face off against Hernando at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Eagles' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Tigers have averaged an impressive 9 runs per game this season. As for Independence, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Greater Praise Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. Greater Praise Christian Academy has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.25 runs per game on average), something Independence will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
