The Cottondale Hornets will take on the Port St. Joe Tiger Sharks at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Cottondale comes in on seven and Port St. Joe on five.
Cottondale is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They skirted past Blountstown 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hornets have posted since March 14th.
Jaydon Gray was a standout: he went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Berry Scott, who went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Cottondale hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Blountstown struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Port St. Joe made easy work of Franklin County on Tuesday and carried off an 11-1 victory. Considering the Tiger Sharks have won ten matches by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jacob Hensley was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Baylor Partie, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Corban Butts was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Cottondale's win bumped their record up to 17-11. As for Port St. Joe, their victory bumped their record up to 17-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Cottondale has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Port St. Joe struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Cottondale came up short against Port St. Joe in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 7-4. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
