The Marietta Tigers will challenge the Eastern Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Marietta's favor as the team sits on five straight wins at home while Eastern has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Marietta will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Federal Hocking on Thursday. The Tigers blew past the Lancers 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won nine contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Chloe Harris made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaylie Barth, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. Samantha Mayo was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Marietta always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Federal Hocking only posted an OBP of .316.
Eastern couldn't beat Warren on Wednesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fourth inning. The Eagles fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Eagles have suffered since April 14th.
Ashlynn Thomas 2027 was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Aedre Ault 2028, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI.
Marietta's win bumped their record up to 14-11. As for Eastern, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Marietta has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Eastern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Marietta's way against Eastern when the teams last played back in April, as Marietta made off with a 9-3 victory. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
