Baseball Game Preview: Jackson Fighting Indians vs. Central Tigers

Jackson is 9-1 against Central since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Fighting Indians will host the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Jackson will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Jackson's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They blew past Lutheran 10-0. The result was nothing new for the Fighting Indians, who have now won ten contests by seven runs or more so far this season.

Caleb Schlick looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five).

Nolan Roach

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/11/26 @ Lutheran	6
03/26/26 vs Sikeston	3
04/09/26 vs North County	1
04/07/26 vs Notre Dame	1
03/23/26 @ St. Louis University	1

On the hitting side, Nolan Roach was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and one double. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Cash Rhodes was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.

Jackson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .409. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Central suffered their biggest defeat since March 28th on Saturday. They lost 13-2 to Lee's Summit. Central has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Jackson's win bumped their record up to 13-1. As for Central, their loss dropped their record down to 8-6.

Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Jackson hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .405. It's a different story for Central, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Jackson's hitters?

Jackson skirted past Central 2-1 when the teams last played back in May of 2025. Will the Fighting Indians repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.