The Thomas Jefferson Vikings will challenge the John Marshall Justices at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Thomas Jefferson will be strutting in after a win while John Marshall will be coming in after a defeat.
Thomas Jefferson took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 16-2 margin over Huguenot. Considering the Vikings have won six games by more than eight runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Ben Coppola made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and not a single walk). Coppola was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with four runs and one stolen base. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Thomas Jefferson let Thomas Dejnozka and Graeme Cox run wild. Dejnozka went 1-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Cox went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Those two runs gave Dejnozka a new career-high. Another player making a difference was DeShaun Hayden, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for John Marshall's offense. They came up short against J.R. Tucker on Tuesday, falling 8-0. The loss continues a trend for the Justices in their meetings with the Tigers: they've now lost six in a row.
John Marshall saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Cobb, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Cobb has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played.
Thomas Jefferson's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.7 runs over those games. As for John Marshall, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-11.
Thomas Jefferson took their victory against John Marshall when the teams last played on May 1st by a conclusive 11-2 score. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Justices have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
