The Hartfield Academy Hawks will face off against the Madison-Ridgeland Academy Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hartfield Academy is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 13 games.
Hartfield Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Mississippi's top teams: Jackson Prep, who was ranked 12th at the time (Hartfield Academy was ranked first). The Hawks had just enough and edged out the Patriots 3-2 on Friday.
Latham Bynum looked comfortable as he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February.
At the plate, Hartfield Academy's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Coleman Yoder, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Madison-Ridgeland Academy beat Jackson Academy 7-2 on Friday. That's two games straight that the Patriots have won by exactly five runs.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy also got a great performance from Rhett Taylor as he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Taylor is becoming a predictor of the Patriots' success: when he allows at most three hits the team is undefeated (and 10-11 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, Holt Adams was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Alex Lambert, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Hartfield Academy, they pushed their record up to 22-2 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home.
Both Hartfield Academy and Madison-Ridgeland Academy just can't seem to miss. The Hawks have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Madison-Ridgeland Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
