Baseball Game Preview: Randleman Tigers vs. Madison Patriots

The Randleman Tigers will challenge the Madison Patriots on Friday. The last three games Randleman has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Randleman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Providence Grove, sneaking past 8-7. The win continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now won seven in a row.

Meanwhile, Madison entered their tilt with East Surry on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They walked away with a 14-11 victory over the Cardinals.

Caden Lounsbury made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Madison is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 9-12 otherwise. Lounsbury was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

In other batting news, Max Shelton was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Madison is 5-2 when Shelton posts three or more hits, but 7-10 otherwise. Dalton Honeycutt was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one double.

Madison always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They are 5-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Madison's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-12. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Randleman, their record is now 18-5.