The Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial Eagles will head out to square off against the Carroll Tigers at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 14 games.
Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial proved they can win big on Saturday (they won by seven) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Corpus Christi Moody, sneaking past 3-1.
Zachary Hampton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up ten Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Jonathan Reyes was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double.
Meanwhile, Carroll had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They blew past Corpus Christi Moody 7-0 on Friday.
Not much got past Christian Hernandez, who gave up just four hits and racked up 11 Ks to keep Corpus Christi Moody off the board. Hernandez also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Carroll is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 2-19 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ian Solano, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. Dax Rodriguez was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Carroll kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matchups.
Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-2-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Carroll, their record is now 4-20.
Carroll's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .468. It's a different story for Carroll, though, as they've only averaged .319. Will they be able to contain Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial's hitters?
Everything went Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial's way against Carroll in their previous meeting back in March, as Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial made off with an 11-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
