The Yough Cougars will face off against the Elizabeth Forward Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Yough will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Yough will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Ringgold, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. The Cougars walked away with an 8-5 victory over the Rams on Wednesday. The Cougars' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Nate Bell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Bell was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Tyler Burkett was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That RBI marked the first that he has brought in this season.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Forward strolled into their game on Tuesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They came out on top against Laurel Highlands by a score of 8-5.
JB Crovak and Daniel Spence did most of the damage at the plate: Crovak went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Spence went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Crovak a new career-high.
The win got Yough back to even at 2-2. As for Elizabeth Forward, their victory bumped their record up to 6-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Yough has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Elizabeth Forward struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Yough suffered a grim 17-10 defeat to Elizabeth Forward in their previous meeting back in March of 2025. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
