A feisty cat fight will be fought as Marshall Lions face off against Hutsonville/Palestine Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, Marshall and Hutsonville/Palestine will really light up the scoreboard.
Hutsonville/Palestine will be up against a hot Marshall team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went Marshall's way against Georgetown-Ridge Farm on Tuesday as Marshall made off with a 13-3 win. Fans of the Lions have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Avery Cornwell made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, she gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest she's had since back in May of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
In other batting news, Mollie Smith was a standout: she scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-2. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Lynn Welborn was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Marshall was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .538. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .353 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Hutsonville/Palestine had to kick off their season on the road on Wednesday, but they showed no ill effects. They never let Red Hill get on the board and left with a 22-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Salukis: they've now won four in a row.
Lily Holcomb was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Rilyn Lawhead, who scored three runs while going 2-for-2.
Marshall pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.9 runs over those games. As for Hutsonville/Palestine, their record now sits at 1-0.
Marshall took their victory against Hutsonville/Palestine when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 16-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for Marshall since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
