For the second straight game, Petal will face off against Oak Grove. The Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Petal has won four straight at home, while Oak Grove won five straight on the road), something that'll have to change.
Petal is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Mississippi's top teams: Oak Grove, who was ranked fourth at the time (Petal was ranked 14th). The Panthers fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 4-2 on Tuesday. The Panthers were red-hot at the plate heading into the match (they scored no less than ten runs in the five contests prior), but the Warriors' pitchers proved too tough.
For Oak Grove's part, Maddox Miller spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up nine Ks. Miller has been consistent for a while: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Eli Wheat, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Oak Grove is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Petal, their loss dropped their record down to 16-7.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Petal has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .466. However, it's not like Oak Grove struggles in that department as they've averaged .472. 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
