The Roane County Raiders will square off against the Clay County Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Roane County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Clay County will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Roane County extended their winning streak to three on Wednesday. The Raiders put the hurt on Poca with a sharp 21-1 win. The contest marked the Raiders' most dominant victory of the season so far.
C ASH made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, C KINDER and J GREATHOUSE did most of the damage at the plate: KINDER went 3-for-4 with one home run, five runs, and five RBI, while GREATHOUSE went 3-for-4 with two triples, two stolen bases, and three runs. KINDER continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played. W BRABHAM was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Roane County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .515. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Clay County ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Capital. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since April 29, 2024.
Roane County pushed their record up to 5-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Clay County, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
Roane County skirted past Clay County 3-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
