The Willow Spring Storm will venture away from home to take on the D.H. Conley Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last four games Willow Spring has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Willow Spring fell victim to Corinth Holders and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They fell just short of the Pirates by a score of 1-0. The Storm haven't had much luck with the Pirates recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Luke Doreauk was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, D.H. Conley waltzed into their contest on Thursday with 19 straight wins... but they left with 20. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Monarchs an 11-0 shutout. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Coleton Newbern made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Newbern was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one home run.
In other pitching news, James Robinson looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, D.H. Conley let Ethan Stewart and Parker Whitley run wild. Stewart went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, one triple, and two RBI, while Whitley went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most runs Whitley has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Ryker Butcher, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
D.H. Conley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northside - Jacksonville only posted a batting average of .059.
D.H. Conley's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Willow Spring, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Willow Spring has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like D.H. Conley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
