Baseball Game Preview: Eldred Yellowjackets vs. Rockland Central Wildcats

The Eldred Yellowjackets will challenge the Rockland Central Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

On Wednesday, Eldred came up short against Sullivan West and fell 7-4. The loss continues a trend for the Yellowjackets in their meetings with the Bulldogs: they've now lost five in a row.

Evan Zgrodek was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one RBI.

In other batting news, Jayson Banach was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with five stolen bases and three runs. Mason Tice was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Tri-Valley hit Rockland Central with a five-run fifth inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wildcats lost 10-3 to the Bears.

Rockland Central's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Eldred, their loss dropped their record down to 2-10.

Eldred beat Rockland Central 9-4 in their previous matchup last Monday. Do the Yellowjackets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.