Baseball Preview: Aquilla Cougars vs. Oglesby Tigers
The Aquilla Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Oglesby Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Aquilla is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.3 runs per game this season.
While Aquilla couldn't quite beat Jonesboro last Tuesday, the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the ten-point loss they were dealt two weeks ago. Aquilla fell just short of Jonesboro by a score of 9-7. It was the first time this season that Aquilla let down their fans at home.
Austin Hines and Ryan Hill did some serious damage despite the final result: Hines went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a stolen base, while Hill scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Rayce Yrios was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Oglesby waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Eagles 14-7. Considering Oglesby has won five contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hunter Walter was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. Walter has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Walter was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaxon Markum, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Johnny Gomez, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Aquilla's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-4. As for Oglesby, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-8 record this season.
Oglesby's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Aquilla hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .352. It's a different story for Oglesby, though, as they've only averaged .242. Will they be able to contain Aquilla's hitters?
Aquilla came out on top in a nail-biter against Oglesby when the teams last played back in March, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Aquilla since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
