The Adair County Indians will challenge the Larue County Hawks at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Adair County is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Russell County just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lakers.
Adair County saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayton Coomer, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. Aiden Smith was another, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Larue County never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Taylor County. Considering the Hawks have won 15 contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lucas Thompson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dekker Thomas, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Abell, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one double.
Larue County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Taylor County only posted a batting average of .200.
Larue County has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-5-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Adair County, their defeat dropped their record down to 16-8.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Adair County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Larue County struggles in that department as they've averaged .339. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Adair County was able to grind out a solid victory over Larue County in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 8-4. Will the Indians repeat their success, or do the Hawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
