Paw Paw hasn't had much luck against Vicksburg recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Red Wolves will venture away from home to take on the Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. Paw Paw is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Paw Paw didn't have quite enough to beat Coldwater and fell 4-3.
Paw Paw saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maverick Johnson, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Vicksburg had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Tuesday. They skirted past the Eddies 7-5. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Brady Young tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mitch Beyer, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Maguire Bowles, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Vicksburg's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-8-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Paw Paw, their defeat dropped their record down to 22-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Paw Paw has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Vicksburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Paw Paw couldn't quite finish off Vicksburg in their previous meeting last Monday and fell 5-3. Can the Red Wolves avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
