Baseball Game Preview: Briarcrest Christian Saints vs. Marion Patriots

The Briarcrest Christian Saints will head out to square off against the Marion Patriots at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

On Monday, Briarcrest Christian got the win against Dyer County by a conclusive 8-2. The victory continues a trend for the Saints in their matchups with the Choctaws: they've now won five in a row.

Phinn Waters spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on one hit and racked up 12 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Landon Rogers, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Cowles, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.

Marion came out on top against West Memphis on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run sixth inning. The Patriots' pitchers stepped up to hand the Blue Devils a 10-0 shutout. The win was familiar territory for the Patriots, who have now won six games in a row.

Marion pushed their record up to 11-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Briarcrest Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 18-10.

Briarcrest Christian beat Marion 3-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Saints since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.