The Calhoun Red Devils will head out to face off against the Tug Valley Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Calhoun has given up an average of 9.1 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Calhoun is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 15 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Gilmer County on Tuesday. They came up short against the Titans, falling 11-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Red Devils in their meetings with the Titans: they've now lost six in a row.
Josiah Wilson made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Tug Valley, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Van a 15-0 shutout on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Chandler Copley was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Tug Valley is 8-4 when he allows at most one earned run, but 9-13 otherwise. Copley was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, Tug Valley got a massive performance out of Gavin Fitzpatrick, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Fitzpatrick is becoming a predictor of the Panthers' success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 14-17 when he doesn't). Dawson Richardson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Tug Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. They are 7-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Calhoun's loss dropped their record down to 3-23. As for Tug Valley, the win got them back to even at 17-17.
Calhoun suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Tug Valley when the teams last played back in April. Can the Red Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
