The Pickerington Central Tigers will head out to take on the Badin Rams at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Pickerington Central put up the most runs they have all season on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Groveport-Madison with a sharp 18-1 win. With that victory, the Tigers brought their scoring average up to 7 runs per game.
Pickerington Central got a massive performance out of J.T. Metzka, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Talen Woodyard was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Pickerington Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .649. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Badin had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.4 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Patriots a 10-0 shutout. The Rams might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by ten runs or more this season.
Dylan Andrews and Chase Maggard dominated on the mound. Andrews pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit, while Maggard pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Maggard has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Badin let Eli Wolpert and James Brink run wild. Wolpert scored a run and stole three bases while going 3-for-4, while Brink went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those stolen bases marked the first that Wolpert snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Cade Cummins, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Pickerington Central's record is now 5-3. As for Badin, their record now sits at 8-3.
Badin's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Pickerington Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Badin, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Pickerington Central keep running through batters, or will the Rams buck the trend? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
