Baseball Game Preview: Avon Orioles vs. Fishers Tigers

For the second straight game, Avon will face off against Fishers. The Orioles will be playing in front of their home fans against the Tigers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Avon 3.8, Fishers 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Avon is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Fishers, who was ranked first at the time (Avon was ranked 19th). The Orioles fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 4-2 on Wednesday. The Orioles have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.

Nolan Hataway was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Clayton Lenz made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one run.

Fishers is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.6 runs over those games. As for Avon, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Avon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fishers struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 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 match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.