Baseball Game Preview: Abbeville Wildcats vs. A.J. Ellender Patriots

The Abbeville Wildcats will head out to face off against the A.J. Ellender Patriots at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Abbeville has given up an average of 15.2 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.

Abbeville is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They came up short against Lake Charles College Prep, falling 12-2.

Abbeville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Braylon Himel, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

A.J. Ellender's found some homefield redemption this week after a overtime loss to Crowley on Thursday. A.J. Ellender had just enough and edged out South Plaquemines 7-6. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Patriots as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.

Aiden Locobon was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dakota Porche, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of A.J. Ellender's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-11 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Bryson Fazzio, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 1-for-2.

A.J. Ellender's record now sits at 4-11. As for Abbeville, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.

Abbeville came out on top in a nail-biter against A.J. Ellender in their previous meeting back in February of 2017, sneaking past 5-4. Does Abbeville have another victory up their sleeve, or will A.J. Ellender turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.