Centralia is 1-9 against Freeburg since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Orphans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Midgets at 4:30 p.m. Centralia's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Freeburg's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Centralia took a seven-run defeat the last time they faced off against Collinsville, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Orphans narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Kahoks 5-4. Surprisingly, this marked the Orphans' fourth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Archie Goewey spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Centralia's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Gabe Houser, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Freeburg had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They put the hurt on the Musketeers with a sharp 9-1 victory.
Freeburg also got a great performance from Dane Johnson as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over 4.2 innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave Johnson a new career-high.
At the plate, Ethan Foster and Sam Rauckman did most of the damage at the plate: Foster went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, while Rauckman went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs Rauckman has posted over his last 11 contests.
Freeburg kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 6-2 when they post 11 or more hits.
Freeburg's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-13. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Centralia, their win bumped their record up to 15-11.
Centralia might still be hurting after the 7-0 loss they got from Freeburg in their previous matchup on Saturday. Will the Orphans have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
