For the second straight game, Highland will face off against Ridgeview. The Scots will head out on the road to square off against the Wolf Pack at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Highland has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with four straight defeats, while Ridgeview will come in with five straight victories.
Ridgeview hit Highland with a six-run fifth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Scots took an 11-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wolf Pack.
For Ridgeview's part, Joel Gutierrez was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched five innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. Gutierrez also tossed a walk, which is notable because Ridgeview is 8-2 when he allows at most two walks, but 8-9 otherwise. Gutierrez was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Ridgeview let Keisyun Allen and Gabriel Stevens run wild. Allen got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run, while Stevens went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two runs gave Stevens a new career-high. Ben Castro was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI.
Ridgeview always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Ridgeview's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-11. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Highland, their loss dropped their record down to 15-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Highland has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ridgeview 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. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
