The Port Allen Pelicans will square off against the East Iberville Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Port Allen's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 20-0 margin over East Feliciana. Winning may never get old, but the Pelicans sure are getting used to it with their eighth in a row.
Carson Chapman was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hunter Bodin, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Evan Trabeaux, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Port Allen always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for East Iberville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. Everything went their way against Northeast on Monday as East Iberville made off with a 21-12 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Tigers needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Like Port Allen, East Iberville also got a great game from a two-way player: Cort Willis. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Willis also tossed a walk, which is notable because East Iberville is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 5-6 otherwise. Willis was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with six RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, East Iberville got a massive performance out of Chene Thompson, who scored four runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. East Iberville is 4-1 when Thompson posts two or more stolen bases, but 4-5 otherwise. Colton Melancon was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Port Allen's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for East Iberville, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season.
Wednesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Port Allen has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .543. However, it's not like East Iberville struggles in that department as they've averaged .535. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Port Allen suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to East Iberville when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Port Allen avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
