The Garrard County Golden Lions will face off against the East Jessamine Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Wayne County hit Garrard County with a six-run seventh inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Golden Lions came up short against the Cardinals, falling 14-3.
Garrard County saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emily Hounshell, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Riley Murphy was another, going 2-for-4 with two runs.
Meanwhile, East Jessamine got their first taste of in-conference action on Tuesday and they started things off strong. Everything went their way against Mercer County as they made off with a 12-1 win. The Jaguars not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 2nd (when they won 13-0).
Remie Smith was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, East Jessamine got a massive performance out of Alex Smith, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and five RBI. That's the most RBI Smith has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Parker Hibbard, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
East Jessamine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mercer County only posted a batting average of .250.
East Jessamine has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 15-17 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Garrard County, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-11.
Wednesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Garrard County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like East Jessamine struggles in that department as they've averaged .334. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Garrard County suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to East Jessamine in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will the Golden Lions have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
