The Houston County Fighting Irish will face off against the Northwest Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Houston County has given up an average of 10.3 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Houston County came up short against McKenzie on Monday, falling 11-4. The loss continues a trend for the Fighting Irish in their meetings with the Rebels: they've now lost six in a row.
Houston County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryder Forrester, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Northwest). They blew past Kenwood 16-4 on Tuesday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 25, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Trevor Prater made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Bricen Moore was a standout: he scored three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Damien Berry, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two RBI.
Northwest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Northwest's win ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-11. As for Houston County, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
Houston County came out on top in a nail-biter against Northwest when the teams last played two weeks ago, sneaking past 7-6. Do the Fighting Irish have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
