Baseball Game Preview: Elida Tigers vs. Melrose Buffaloes

Tigers

Runs

04/07/25 vs Gateway Christian	4
03/28/25 @ Floyd	7
03/28/25 @ Floyd	18
03/25/25 vs Capitan	12

The Elida Tigers will take on the Melrose Buffaloes at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Elida is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.

Elida came up short against Gateway Christian on Monday, falling 14-4. The matchup marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Hardy Fraze made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Melrose got the win against Floyd on Monday by a conclusive 20-7. The result was nothing new for the Buffaloes, who have now won four games by 13 runs or more so far this season.

Cy Draper was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Odom, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3.

Melrose kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in seven consecutive contests.

Melrose has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. Having lost for the first time this season, Elida fell to 4-1.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Elida has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Melrose struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Elida beat Melrose 6-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2019. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Buffaloes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.