Poplar Springs extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to five on Tuesday, dropping them down to 0-2. They came up short against the Malone Tigers, falling 16-6. The Atomics were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Tigers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in March of 2025.
Rhett Greenwood and Carson Taylor did some serious damage despite the final result: Greenwood went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Taylor went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one double.
As for Malone, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 5-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.8 runs over those games.
On Malone's side, Kris Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Those six strikeouts gave Smith a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Smith is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Christian Morales, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Ben Proctor, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Coming up, Poplar Springs will welcome Graceville at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Malone, they will head out to challenge Paxton at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
