Baseball Game Preview: North Pike Jaguars vs. Loyd Star Hornets

The North Pike Jaguars will take on the Loyd Star Hornets in a tournament on Friday. North Pike is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.

If North Pike beats Loyd Star with six runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. North Pike came out on top against Senatobia by a score of 6-2 on Saturday.

The team relied heavily on Dominic Smith, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February of 2024. Peyton McGehee also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Meanwhile, Loyd Star challenged Enterprise. in a bug-themed battle on Thursday. Loyd Star walked away with an 11-8 win over Enterprise. The Hornets haven't had any issues with the Yellowjackets recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.

Casen Easterling was incredible, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Jordyn Kees was another key player, scoring four runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.

North Pike's record now sits at 5-1. As for Loyd Star, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Pike has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Loyd Star struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

North Pike suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Loyd Star when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can North Pike avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.