The Greenbrier East Spartans will head out to take on the Independence Patriots at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Monday, Greenbrier East got the win against Nicholas County by a conclusive 14-2. The result was nothing new for the Spartans, who have now won eight games by six runs or more so far this season.
Eli Green spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on one hit and racked up six Ks.
Zion Detko
| 04/19/25 @ Martinsburg | 4 |
| 04/02/25 @ Princeton | 3 |
| 04/28/25 @ Nicholas County | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ James Monroe | 2 |
| 03/31/25 @ Summers County | 2 |
| + 9 more games |
On the hitting side, Zion Detko was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. He is becoming a predictor of Greenbrier East's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 7-9 when he doesn't). Ashton Cochran also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Independence sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 11-9 victory over PikeView on Monday. The win continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won four in a row.
Independence also got a great performance from Chance Moore as he struck out 12 batters over 6.1 innings while giving up six earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits (and not a single walk). Moore has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Hunter Milam and Andrew Coalson did most of the damage at the plate: Milam got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI, while Coalson got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. The dominant performance also gave Coalson a new career-high in hits (two). Degan Williams was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Independence pushed their record up to 7-9-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Greenbrier East, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-9 record this season.
Greenbrier East's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's match. The Spartans have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Independence, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Greenbrier East continue to outrun the ball?
Greenbrier East came out on top in a nail-biter against Independence when the teams last played on April 12th, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
