Baseball Game Preview: Marion Wildcats vs. Centralia Orphans

The Marion Wildcats will face off against the Centralia Orphans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Marion came up short against Harrisburg and fell 8-3. The Wildcats have struggled against the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost meeting.

Meanwhile, Centralia had already won two in a row and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They never let the Eagles get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory. The Orphans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by eight runs or more this season.

Xavier Koch made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs and one double. He has become a key player for Centralia: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 6-8 otherwise.

In other batting news, Drake Fahringer was incredible, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Centralia is undefeated when Fahringer posts two or more runs, but 7-8 otherwise. Austin Arthur was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Centralia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Odin/Patoka/Sandoval only posted an OBP of .077.

Marion's defeat dropped their record down to 14-6. As for Centralia, their win bumped their record up to 11-8.

Marion was able to grind out a solid victory over Centralia in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 5-2. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Orphans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.