The Garrett Railroaders will head out to take on the West Noble Chargers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Garrett sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 victory over Churubusco. The Railroaders haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Grant Byers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up 13 Ks.
At the plate, Garrett saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Ice, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That run marked the first that Ice has scored this season.
West Noble came out on top against Prairie Heights on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run fifth inning. The Chargers put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 11-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Chargers, who have now won three games by 11 runs or more so far this season.
Jordan Eash made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Eash was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trey Shisler, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Matthew Trinklein was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
West Noble was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .382. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Garrett's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for West Noble, their record is now 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Garrett has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Noble struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Garrett took their victory against West Noble when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Railroaders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
