Zeigler-Royalton waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with 17 straight wins... but they left with 18. They had just enough and edged the Goreville Blackcats out 7-5. This was payback for Zeigler-Royalton, who suffered a 4-2 loss the last time these two teams met.
Scout Hudgens spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Chase Freeman, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Landen Butler, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Zeigler-Royalton's win was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-1. As for Goreville, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-8.
Zeigler-Royalton will head out on the road to square off against Goreville at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Zeigler-Royalton is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.6 runs per game this season. As for Goreville, they didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 20-9 victory vs. Hamilton County on the 24th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
