Baseball Game Preview: Central Jaguars vs. Baker Gators

The Central Jaguars will face off against the Baker Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Central is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.

Central managed to slip by Jay the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Jaguars came up short against the Royals on Friday, falling 6-0.

Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Baker made sure to put some runs up on the board against Paxton on Monday. The Gators put the hurt on the Bobcats with a sharp 16-6 victory. Considering the Gators have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.

Cole Hardin spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and four unearned) runs on five hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Joel Morse, who scored four runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Riley Renfro, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.

Baker was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .481. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Baker's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Central, their defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 13-6.

Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Baker in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 9-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Jaguars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.