Mansfield has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Athens Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Mansfield is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Mansfield after they put the first points on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 11-3 to Troy.
Easton Cleveland-Pequignot made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and a double.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last matchup, Athens made sure to put some runs up on the board against Towanda on Thursday. Athens blew past Towanda 12-5.
Connor Mosher made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off one hit. Mosher was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Athens got a big performance out of Cooper Robinson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Brendan Cooke, who went 4-for-4 with two RBI.
Mansfield's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Athens, their victory bumped their record up to 6-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mansfield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Athens struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Mansfield's way against Athens when the teams last played back in April as Mansfield made off with a 9-2 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Athens' Nick Grazul, who struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Mansfield still be able to contain Grazul? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
