Baseball Game Preview: Grove Ridgerunners vs. Jay Bulldogs

The Grove Ridgerunners are taking a road trip to challenge the Jay Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Grove's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Jay's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Tuesday just wasn't the day for Grove's offense. They fell just short of Locust Grove by a score of 1-0 on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Ridgerunners' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Grove saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brady Dalton, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Jay was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell 15-12 to Quapaw. On the bright side, the 12- run effort marked the Bulldogs' highest-scoring contest to date.

Leland Johnson stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Chris Keith was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.

Grove's loss dropped their record down to 12-9. As for Jay, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Grove has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Jay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Grove beat Jay 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ridgerunners since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.