Preview: Ridgeview Panthers vs. Keystone Heights Indians
After two games on the road, Ridgeview is heading back home. They will take on the Keystone Heights Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Ridgeview fell victim to Palatka and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 1-0. The match marked that first time this season in which Ridgeview was not able to get on the board.
Ridgeview saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gabe Torres, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles.
Meanwhile, Keystone Heights had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it seven on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Tornadoes by a score of 5-1.
Ty Mitzel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up six Ks.
On the hitting side, Aiden Screen was incredible, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Musgrove, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Ridgeview's defeat dropped their record down to 4-4-1. As for Keystone Heights, their win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ridgeview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Keystone Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.5 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ridgeview took their victory against Keystone Heights in their previous meeting back in March of 2019 by a conclusive 7-0. Does Ridgeview have another victory up their sleeve, or will Keystone Heights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
