Baseball Game Preview: Grafton Bearcats vs. Preston Knights

Bearcats

Runs

04/01/25 vs Philip Barbour	3
03/29/25 vs Keyser	7
03/29/25 vs Fairmont Senior	2
03/27/25 @ Notre Dame	7
03/25/25 vs North Marion	15
+ 5 more games

The Grafton Bearcats will venture away from home to challenge the Preston Knights at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Grafton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.

Grafton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of West Virginia's top teams: Philip Barbour, who was ranked fifth at the time (Grafton was ranked 19th). The Bearcats came up short against the Colts on Tuesday, falling 9-3. The loss continues a trend for the Bearcats in their meetings with the Colts: they've now lost six in a row.

Grafton saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Greyson Ramezan, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.

Meanwhile, Preston lost 11-4 to Mountain Ridge on Friday. The Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Preston also got a good showing from Lukas McVicker, who struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (and only one walk).

At the plate, Bryson McNew made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run. He also scored a run, marking his first of the season. Ayden Ward was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

The defeat was their first at home , dropping their record down to 2-2. As for Grafton, their loss dropped their record down to 7-3.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Grafton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Preston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Grafton couldn't quite get it done against Preston in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can the Bearcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.