Baseball Game Preview: Winfield Generals vs. Ripley Vikings

The Winfield Generals will face off against the Ripley Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Winfield fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Point Pleasant on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Big Blacks by a score of 7-6. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Blake Withrow put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Withrow was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

Withrow wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jared Miller, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Brayson Downey was another, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, Ripley had to start their season on the road on Friday, and it wasn't the start they were hoping for. They lost 16-6 to Hurricane. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Vikings have suffered against the Redskins since April 8, 2023.

Having lost for the first time this season, Winfield fell to 2-1. As for Ripley, their loss dropped their record down to 0-1.

Winfield skirted past Ripley 6-5 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will Winfield repeat their success, or does Ripley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.