The Washington County Commanders will venture away from home to face off against the Taylor County Cardinals at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Washington County nor Bethlehem made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Commanders' pitcher stepped up to hand the Eagles/Banshees a 10-0 shutout. The victory continues a trend for the Commanders in their matchups with the Eagles/Banshees: they've now won four in a row.
Camden Abell
| 05/06/25 @ Bethlehem | 3 |
| 04/24/25 @ Adair County | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Green County | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Thomas Nelson | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Van Buren | 1 |
Camden Abell was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Washington County is 5-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-12 otherwise. Abell was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dylan Mattingly, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. He has become a key player for Washington County: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three RBI, but 8-13 otherwise. Conner Gabhart also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Taylor County faced Campbellsville in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Cardinals walked away with a 3-0 win over the Eagles.
The result came thanks to Cole McLean's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Taylor County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Layken Lyons, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Taylor County is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 15 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Washington County, their record is now 11-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Washington County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Taylor County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Washington County might still be hurting after the 18-0 loss they got from Taylor County in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Commanders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
