Baseball Game Preview: East Ridge Pioneers vs. Sale Creek Panthers

For the second straight game, East Ridge will face off against Sale Creek. The Pioneers will be playing at home against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: East Ridge has struggled recently with 13 losses in a row, while Sale Creek will arrive with nine straight victories.

East Ridge fell victim to Sale Creek and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They came up short against the Panthers, falling 10-0. The shutout was out of character for the Pioneers seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.

For Sale Creek's part, Gabriel Abbott looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Abbott has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Gabriel Hodges was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Maverick McCary was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI.

Sale Creek pushed their record up to 16-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for East Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-14.