The Hancock County Hornets will take on the Grayson County Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Hancock County hasn't scored more than two runs for five games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
On Thursday, Hancock County didn't have quite enough to beat Daviess County and fell 3-2.
Porter Hay put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Hay was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other pitching news, Hancock County got a good showing from Nolan Maxwell, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Furthermore, Maxwell didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March.
Hay wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Louden Fluharty, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double. That double was Fluharty's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Grayson County got themselves on the board against Butler County on Monday, but Butler County never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over the Bears. The victory continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Bears: they've now won six in a row.
Not much got past Gage Napier, who gave up just three hits and racked up 15 Ks to keep Butler County off the board. Napier is becoming a predictor of Grayson County's success: when he posts at least ten strikeouts the team is undefeated (and 8-11 when he doesn't).
At the plate, Landon Haycraft was excellent, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base and one run. Grayson County is 2-1 when Haycraft posts three or more hits, but 9-10 otherwise. Chase Baunach was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Grayson County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Grayson County pushed their record up to 11-11 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Hancock County, their loss dropped their record down to 6-15.
Hancock County couldn't quite finish off Grayson County in their previous matchup back in March and fell 7-5. Will the Hornets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
