A feisty cat fight will be fought as Jackson Jaguars duke it out with M.L. King Lions at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Jackson sitting on six straight victories and M.L. King on five.
Jackson can't be too worried about heading out to take on M.L. King: they just beat Midtown at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. Jackson was the clear victor by a 13-2 margin over Midtown on Friday. The Jaguars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 games by seven runs or more this season.
Charlie Schrope was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in February. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Marcus Blash and Seth Geter did most of the damage at the plate: Blash scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Geter scored a run while going 2-for-4. Maceo White was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
Jackson always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .622. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Midtown only posted an OBP of .346.
Meanwhile, M.L. King was able to grind out a solid win over Creekside on Friday, taking the game 8-3.
Jordan Ford was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one home run. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Keontae Banks, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Jackson's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-6. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 13.33 hits in those games compared to only 5.18 in the others. As for M.L. King, their record is now 11-4.
Saturday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Jackson has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .486. However, it's not like M.L. King struggles in that department as they've averaged .563. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Jackson's way against M.L. King in their previous matchup last Wednesday, as Jackson made off with an 11-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jackson since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
