A feisty cat fight will be fought as Forest Park Panthers challenge Stockbridge Tigers at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Forest Park is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Stockbridge is facing Forest Park at the wrong time: Forest Park suffered their first home loss of the season on Thursday and they're likely out for redemption. They came up short against the Knights, falling 13-4. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Knights 4-0 in the first period.
Forest Park saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyrese Jenkins, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Another was Jacoby Hendricks, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Stockbridge entered their tilt with Woodland on Friday with three consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with four. Everything went their way against the Wolfpack as they made off with a 12-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won four contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Dereck Foster made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Rod Hall and Jeremiah McGeachy did most of the damage at the plate: Hall scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while McGeachy went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most stolen bases Hall has posted since back in February. Messiah Gamble was another key player, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Stockbridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Forest Park's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 7-3. As for Stockbridge, their win bumped their record up to 5-8.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Forest Park hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .335. However, it's not like Stockbridge struggles in that department as they've averaged .322. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
