The Centralia Orphans will head out on the road to square off against the Salem Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Centralia scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by an 8-2 margin over Herrin. The win was just what Centralia needed coming off of a 14-3 loss in their prior match.
Deacon Snow looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
At the plate, Hayden Patten and Drake Fahringer did most of the damage at the plate: Patten scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Fahringer scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Xavier Koch, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Salem has not done well against Charleston recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Salem put the hurt on Charleston with a sharp 15-5 victory. With that win, Salem brought their scoring average up to 7.2 runs per game.
Jalen Inlow was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Inlow was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Josh Powless, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Rhett Detering was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
The victory got Centralia back to even at 2-2. As for Salem, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-4.
Centralia's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's matchup. Centralia has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Salem, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 per game. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Centralia continue to outrun the ball?
Centralia beat Salem 6-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Centralia since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
