Baseball Game Preview: Nichols Vikings vs. Iroquois Redhawks

The Nichols Vikings will challenge the Iroquois Redhawks at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Nichols will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Canisius, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Vikings never let the Crusaders get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory on Wednesday. While the Vikings didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

The team relied heavily on Trenton Ruffolo, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and one triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Drury Schmidt, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

Meanwhile, Iroquois strolled into their game on Wednesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They put the hurt on Griffith Institute with a sharp 8-2 win. Those eight runs were actually the fewest the Redhawks have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.

Slade McTigue was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Carson Fragale was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Nichols has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Iroquois, they pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their third straight at home.

Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Nichols has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .433. However, it's not like Iroquois struggles in that department as they've averaged .491. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.