The Jena Giants will venture away from home to square off against the Grant Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Jena will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
If Jena beats Grant with seven runs on Thursday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Giants came out on top against Tioga by a score of 7-3 on Tuesday.
Kiette Cooper
| 04/08/25 vs Tioga | 14 |
| 04/01/25 vs Sterlington | 11 |
| 03/29/25 vs Oak Grove | 17 |
| 03/29/25 vs West Monroe | 8 |
| 03/25/25 @ Quitman | 8 |
| + 16 more games |
Kiette Cooper spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 21 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Haylee Dangerfield, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Sydney Williams was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Grant took on Winnfield on Tuesday. The Cougars took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers. The defeat continues a trend for the Cougars in their meetings with the Tigers: they've now lost three in a row.
Peyton Kirtland was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Kirtland was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Kirtland wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Saydie Willson, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Jena pushed their record up to 22-4 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. As for Grant, their loss dropped their record down to 13-10.
Grant's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Jena has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Grant, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Jena keep running through batters, or will the Cougars buck the trend?
Jena came out on top in a nail-biter against Grant in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Giants since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
