Baseball Preview: Oxford Prep Griffins vs. Northside - Pinetown Panthers
The Oxford Prep Griffins will head out on the road to face off against the Northside - Pinetown Panthers at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Oxford Prep will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Oxford Prep is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They skirted past Clover Garden School 8-7.
Forrest Capps made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Capps has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. Capps was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gage Hobgood, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and a run. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Bryson Preddy, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with an RBI.
Meanwhile, Northside - Pinetown put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They blew past Hobbton 8-1. The victory was nothing new for Northside - Pinetown as they're now sitting on three straight.
Like Oxford Prep, Northside - Pinetown also got a great game from a two-way player: Brandon Arthur. He struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Arthur was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with an RBI.
In other batting news, Northside - Pinetown let Jamie Corprew and Griffin Johnson loose on the outfield. Corprew scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-4, while Johnson went 1-for-2 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI. Ashton Willard was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Oxford Prep's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-6. As for Northside - Pinetown, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season.
Saturday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Oxford Prep hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .320. However, it's not like Northside - Pinetown struggles in that department as they've averaged .318. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
