Baseball Game Preview: Seneca Red Hawks vs. Nelson County Cardinals

The Seneca Red Hawks will head out to challenge the Nelson County Cardinals at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Seneca has given up an average of 21.2 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Seneca lost 18-7 to Highlands Latin on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Nelson County never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Bethlehem with a sharp 14-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won eight matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

A Balog made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run.

In other batting news, E Rogers was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was C Buckman, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and one run.

Nelson County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.

Nelson County has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-7-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Seneca, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-11 record this season.

Seneca might still be hurting after the 15-5 defeat they got from Nelson County when the teams last played back in April of 2017. Can the Red Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.