The Mineola Yellowjackets will head out on the road to challenge the Gilmer Buckeyes at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mineola will be strutting in after a victory while Gilmer will be coming in after a loss.
Mineola is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Quitman 16-1 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Yellowjackets in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won five in a row.
Jadelyn Marshall was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted over her last 13 games.
In other batting news, Mineola got a massive performance out of Carol Castleberry, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple was Castleberry's first of the season. Maddie Short was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Mineola kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.2.
Meanwhile, Gilmer was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 4-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Spring Hill. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Buckeyes have suffered against the Panthers since April 10, 2023.
Gilmer's defeat dropped their record down to 7-10. As for Mineola, their record now sits at 10-5-2.
Mineola suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Gilmer in their previous matchup back in February of 2020. Can the Yellowjackets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.