The Holmes County Blue Devils will head out to square off against the Marianna Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Holmes County is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
Holmes County had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Chipley on Thursday. Holmes County put the hurt on Chipley with a sharp 7-0 victory.
Rayce Griffin and Bradley Garrett made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Griffin tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Garrett kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero hits, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. At bat, Griffin scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Garrett scored a run while going 1-for-2. What's more, Griffin posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
In other pitching news, Braydon Patrick looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Tristan King, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that he stole this season. Another player making a difference was Bryant Mathis, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Holmes County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Marianna). They walked away with a 10-5 win over Sneads on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Bulldogs considering their one-run performance the game before.
Marianna also got a great performance from Riley Adkinson as he pitched five innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Adkinson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Aiden Smith was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. Parker Willis was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Holmes County's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs over those games. As for Marianna, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-4 record.
Marianna's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Holmes County has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. It's a different story for Marianna, though, as they've only averaged .359. Will they be able to contain Holmes County's hitters?
Holmes County came up short against Marianna in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 10-5. Can Holmes County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
