The Hardin County Cougars will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the Gallatin County Hawks at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hardin County put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Saturday. Everything went their way against Union County as Hardin County made off with an 11-0 victory.
Meanwhile, Gallatin County waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They walked away with an 8-4 win over the Wildcats. Eight seems to be a good number for Gallatin County as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Talan Smith and James Wood were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Smith struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Wood pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). At the plate, Smith scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Wood scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Kaden Downen was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Dylan Rushing, who scored a run and stole four bases while going 1-for-3.
Hardin County pushed their record up to 10-3 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs per game. As for Gallatin County, their record now sits at 7-3.
Hardin County was able to grind out a solid victory over Gallatin County when the teams last played back in March, winning 7-2. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Downen, who struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Hardin County still be able to contain Downen? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
