Baseball Game Preview: Thomas Jefferson Vikings vs. Hermitage Panthers

Thomas Jefferson hasn't had much luck against Hermitage recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Vikings will square off against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

The home team had won the previous four meetings between Thomas Jefferson and Richmond High School for the Arts, and Thomas Jefferson kept the tradition alive. The Vikings' pitcher stepped up to hand the Bulldogs a 14-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by nine runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Hermitage made easy work of Meadowbrook on Monday and carried off an 11-0 victory. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Monarchs recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Hayden Harris was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one triple. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Hermitage got a massive performance out of Adrian Hernandez, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave Hernandez a new career-high. Brody Davis was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.

Hermitage was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

The victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 3-9. As for Thomas Jefferson, their record is now 6-3.

Thomas Jefferson suffered a grim 16-4 defeat to Hermitage in their previous meeting back in April of 2019. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.