The East Jackson Trojans are taking a road trip to square off against the Columbia Central Golden Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. East Jackson has given up an average of 8 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Manchester hit East Jackson with a 12-run fourth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Trojans came up short against the Flying Dutchmen, falling 16-1. The Trojans haven't had much luck with the Flying Dutchmen recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
East Jackson saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landin Hendricks, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run. Chris Holloway also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Columbia Central had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Monday. They put the hurt on the Jayhawks with a sharp 16-0 win. That 16 run margin sets a new team best for the Golden Eagles this season.
Tyler Ladd was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Chase Dukate, who went 1-for-2 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Columbia Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Columbia Central's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for East Jackson, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. East Jackson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbia Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
