The Orofino Maniacs will square off against the Wendell Trojans at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Orofino is looking to tack on another W to their nine-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Orofino is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Firth 7-6. That's two games straight that Orofino has won by just one run.
Gavin Christopherson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Dashel Barlow and Silas Naranjo did most of the damage at the plate: Barlow scored two runs while going 1-for-3, while Naranjo scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Quinton Naranjo, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Wendell had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Trojans.
Cooper Jones was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Jones was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julian Ponce, who went 4-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
Orofino's record is now 22-2. As for Wendell, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5-1 record this season.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Orofino has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .477. However, it's not like Wendell struggles in that department as they've averaged .487. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Orofino took their win against Wendell in their previous meeting back in May of 2015 by a conclusive 10-1. Will Orofino repeat their success, or does Wendell have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
