Baseball Game Preview: East Palestine Bulldogs vs. Southern Indians

For the second straight game, East Palestine will face off against Southern. The Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Indians at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (East Palestine has six straight victories, Southern has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

East Palestine had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Southern on Monday. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Indians. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by six runs or more this season.

Blake Noel

Base on Balls Against

05/12/25 vs Southern	2
04/24/25 vs Heartland Christian	0
04/21/25 @ Toronto	2
04/16/25 vs Wellsville	2

Blake Noel tossed a big game, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, East Palestine let Cale Moraski and Phoenix Marvin run wild. Moraski went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Marvin got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs Moraski has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Kealin Simon, who went 2-for-4 with three runs.

East Palestine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

East Palestine's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Southern, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-13.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. East Palestine has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Southern struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.