Baseball Preview: Elkins Tigers vs. Preston Knights
Elkins is 9-1 against Preston since March of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Elkins Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Preston Knights at 5:30 p.m. Elkins is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Last Monday, Elkins fell victim to a tough 13-2 loss at the hands of Bridgeport.
Ethan Humphrey made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, and a double.
Meanwhile, Preston scored the most runs they've had all season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough. They fell just short of Robert C. Byrd by a score of 11-10. Preston has not had much luck with Robert C. Byrd recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Wyatt Moyer was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-2 with a triple, a stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Nate Adams, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3.
Even though they lost, Preston hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Elkins now has a losing record at 2-3. As for Preston, their record now sits at 2-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Elkins has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Preston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Elkins came out on top in a nail-biter against Preston in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 4-2. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Preston's Brady McNew, who struck out 15 batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Elkins still be able to contain McNew? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
