The Scottsburg Warriors will head out on the road to challenge the Jennings County Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Scottsburg is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, Scottsburg earned an 8-3 victory over North Harrison. The win continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won four in a row.
Garrett McClellan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in ten consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cale Barger, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty Roberts, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Jennings County came out on top against Brownstown Central on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fourth inning. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Braves. Jennings County's victory was all the more impressive since the Braves were averaging only 4.08 runs allowed on the season.
Cooper Lane tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Jennings County is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 7-12 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Jennings County let Cole Skinner and Zane Weinhorst run wild. Skinner went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Weinhorst went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. That's the most runs Skinner has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Chase Young, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Jennings County has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-12 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Scottsburg, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-5.
Jennings County's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Scottsburg has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Jennings County, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Scottsburg keep running through batters, or will the Panthers buck the trend?
Scottsburg might still be hurting after the 15-3 loss they got from Jennings County in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
