Baseball Game Preview: Herrin Tigers vs. Pinckneyville Panthers

The Herrin Tigers will challenge the Pinckneyville Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pinckneyville took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Herrin, who comes in off a win.

Herrin proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 15) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Goreville 12-11. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Tigers have posted since April 23, 2024.

The team relied heavily on Tanner Hall, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxon Hudson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.

Hall wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Herrin kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Pinckneyville's offense. They lost 11-0 to Waltonville on Monday. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Panthers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

JD Kellerman put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Kellerman was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one double.

Herrin's win bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Pinckneyville, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.

Everything went Herrin's way against Pinckneyville when the teams last played back in March of 2022, as Herrin made off with a 7-0 victory. Does Herrin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pinckneyville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.