Baseball Preview: Center Grove Trojans vs. Plainfield Quakers
Center Grove has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Plainfield Quakers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Center Grove's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Plainfield's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Center Grove is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: McCutcheon, who was ranked eighth in their home state at the time (Center Grove was ranked second). Center Grove came out on top against McCutcheon by a score of 7-2 on Saturday. That's two games straight that Center Grove has won by exactly five runs.
Brendan Ealy looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits.
On the hitting side, Noah Coy was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three stolen bases, and three runs. Carson Bush was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Plainfield fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Greenwood on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Woodmen by a score of 5-4. That's two games in a row now that Plainfield has lost by just one run.
Gavin Lykins was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with a home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Holsclaw, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Center Grove's victory was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 25-2. As for Plainfield, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-12.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Center Grove has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Plainfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Center Grove skirted past Plainfield 9-7 when the teams last played back in May of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Center Grove since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
