vs
| 04/30/24 - Home | 12-0 W |
| 04/25/24 - Away | 12-5 W |
| 05/17/23 - Home | 8-6 W |
| 04/26/23 - Home | 14-2 W |
| 04/17/23 - Away | 10-1 W |
| + 5 more games |
South Laurel is 8-2 against Whitley County since May of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Cardinals will look to defend their home field against the Colonels at 6:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.
South Laurel's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Williamsburg. The Cardinals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by ten runs or more this season.
Audrey Likins made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run.
In other batting news, Kenzie Williams and Bailey Frazier did most of the damage at the plate: Williams scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2, while Frazier scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. That's the most runs Williams has posted since back in April of 2024. Kinlee Ertel was another key player, scoring three runs while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Whitley County). They put the hurt on Barbourville with a sharp 19-4 win on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Colonels in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won seven in a row.
Like South Laurel, Whitley County also got a great game from a two-way player: Caylee Singleton. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Singleton was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Morgan Huddleston was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Payton Hurst, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Whitley County hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive matchups.
South Laurel's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Whitley County, their win bumped their record up to 6-10.
South Laurel took their victory against Whitley County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-0 score. Do the Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Colonels turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
