The Cottondale Hornets are taking a road trip to face off against the Chipley Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Cottondale took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with an 8-3 win over Holmes County.
Conner Barton
| 03/03/26 vs Holmes County | 11 |
| 03/06/25 vs Vernon | 8 |
| 03/18/25 @ Christian Academy of Knoxville | 7 |
| 02/20/25 vs Munroe | 2 |
| 02/14/25 @ South Walton | 1 |
Conner Barton made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base. That stolen base was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Jaydon Gray and Tyler Jones did most of the damage at the plate: Gray went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Jones got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. That RBI marked the first that Jones has brought in this season.
Meanwhile, Chipley posted their closest victory since April 15, 2025 on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Marianna, sneaking past 7-6. The game was the first time the Tigers have beaten the Bulldogs on their field since March 14, 2023.
Brantley Kirkland was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty Gray, who went 2-for-5 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Cottondale's record now sits at 2-3. As for Chipley, their record is now 3-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cottondale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Chipley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Cottondale's way against Chipley in their previous matchup back in February of 2025, as Cottondale made off with a 7-0 win. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
