Baseball Preview: Stone Memorial Panthers vs. Monterey Wildcats
Stone Memorial and Monterey are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Stone Memorial Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Monterey Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Stone Memorial is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Last Monday, Stone Memorial suffered a tough 7-1 loss at the hands of Gordonsville. Stone Memorial has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Nick Osmun put in work no matter where he played. He struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. Osmun was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and a double. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Osmun wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Talyn Hurd, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Monterey had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Monday. Everything went their way against the Blue Devils as they made off with a 13-2 win. That looming 13-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Monterey yet this season.
Like Stone Memorial, Monterey also got a great game from a two-way player: Dawson Hedgecough. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Hedgecough was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Monterey let Brayden Reams and Evan Robinson loose on the outfield. Reams scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Robinson went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Jake Rachford, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Stone Memorial's defeat dropped their record down to 6-8. As for Monterey, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Stone Memorial has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Monterey struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.4. 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 match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
