The West Philadelphia Speedboys will venture away from home to take on the Martin Luther King Cougars at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
West Philadelphia is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Bodine 19-13. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Speedboys.
The team relied heavily on Zion Shelby, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs.
West Philadelphia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .545 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Martin Luther King waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 16-6 margin over the Lions. 16 seems to be a good number for the Cougars as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Jordan Thompson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Martin Luther King let Messiah Stokes and Matthew Scott run wild. Stokes got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, while Scott got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Stokes continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Eli Mobley, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
West Philadelphia's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.2 runs over those games. As for Martin Luther King, their record is now 9-1-1.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Philadelphia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .404. However, it's not like Martin Luther King struggles in that department as they've averaged .351. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Philadelphia couldn't quite get it done against Martin Luther King in their previous matchup on May 2nd as they fell 11-7. Can the Speedboys avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
