The Ironton Fighting Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the Portsmouth Trojans at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Ironton's pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so Portsmouth's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Ironton is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering South Point just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Monday. They fell just short of the Pointers by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Fighting Tigers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Ian Ginger
| 05/05/25 @ South Point | 2 |
| 05/02/25 @ Dawson-Bryant | 3 |
| 04/30/25 vs Gallia Academy | 1 |
| 04/28/25 @ Chesapeake | 2 |
Ian Ginger made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Tanner Kleinman also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth entered their tilt with Green on Tuesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Bobcats.
Portsmouth's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was J.T. Williams, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Portsmouth's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-4-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Ironton, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 10-1 and their overall record down to 12-2.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Ironton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Portsmouth struggles in that department as they've averaged .343. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Ironton skirted past Portsmouth 4-3 when the teams last played back in April. Will the Fighting Tigers repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
