Baseball Game Preview: Washburn Pirates vs. Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders

The Washburn Pirates are taking a road trip to square off against the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Gatlinburg-Pittman took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Washburn, who comes in off a win.

Washburn will bounce into Friday's game after beating Cumberland Gap, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Washburn had just enough and edged out Cumberland Gap 6-4.

Riley Munsey was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Munsey was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Munsey wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Landry Coffey, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Meanwhile, Gatlinburg-Pittman lost 10-3 to Chuckey-Doak on Thursday.

Washburn has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. Gatlinburg-Pittman has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Washburn has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gatlinburg-Pittman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Washburn skirted past Gatlinburg-Pittman 3-2 when the teams last played on March 10th. The rematch might be a little tougher for Washburn since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.