The Massac County Patriots are taking a road trip to challenge the Carlisle County Comets on Thursday. Massac County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
Massac County's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 5-0 victory over Herrin. The win continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
Zach Maurer was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Ryan Musselman
| 04/22/25 @ Herrin | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Carterville | 1 |
| 04/11/25 vs Herrin | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ Harrisburg | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Vienna | 1 |
In other batting news, Ryan Musselman was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brayden Jennings, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Carlisle County made sure to put some runs up on the board against South Fulton on Monday. The Comets put the hurt on the Red Devils with a sharp 10-0 victory. Considering the Comets' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Like Massac County, Carlisle County also got a great game from a two-way player: Koltyn Perez. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Perez also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Carlisle County is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-6 otherwise. Perez was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lawsin Moore, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Brennan O'Neill was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.
Massac County's win was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Carlisle County, their record is now 8-6.
Massac County beat Carlisle County 11-6 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
