Baseball Game Preview: Pekin Dragons vs. Brimfield Indians

The Pekin Dragons will square off against the Brimfield Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Pekin's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three contests, but Friday's match will give them a chance to turn things around.

Pekin lost 9-1 to Dunlap on Thursday.

Garrett Frampton was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in March.

At the plate, Pekin saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaden Siltman, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Brimfield never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge]. Considering the Indians have won five games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Brady Johnson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dane Fagerburg, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Kaden Cahill was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-1.

Brimfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .607. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Brimfield pushed their record up to 7-3-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Pekin, they now have a losing record of 5-6.