The Eaton Reds will face off against the Forge Christian Fury at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Eaton 3.9, Forge Christian 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Thursday, Eaton didn't have quite enough to beat Platte Valley and fell 6-5.
Jackson Denooy made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Everett Edinger, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Forge Christian came tearing into Thursday's matchup with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Jaguars with a sharp 8-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Fury, who have now won nine games by seven runs or more so far this season.
The team relied heavily on Jonathan Tipton, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Will Taylor, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Forge Christian's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Eaton, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-5 record this season.
Both Eaton and Forge Christian just can't seem to miss. The Reds have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Forge Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.9 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Eaton skirted past Forge Christian 6-5 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Reds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Fury turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
