Baseball Game Preview: Reardan Screaming Eagles vs. Newport Grizzlies

For the second straight game, Reardan will face off against Newport. The Screaming Eagles are taking a road trip to challenge the Grizzlies at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Reardan has struggled recently with nine losses in a row, while Newport will arrive with eight straight wins.

Reardan fell victim to Newport and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 8-0 to the Grizzlies.

For Newport's part, Ryder Riddles and Hank Kirkwood made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Riddles pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Kirkwood kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. At the plate, Riddles went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Kirkwood went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.

In other batting news, Newport got a big performance out of Kutter Driver, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave Driver a new career-high. Brody Driver was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Newport pushed their record up to 11-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Reardan, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-9.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Reardan has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Newport struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.