Preston is 8-2 against Century since May of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Preston Indians will look to defend their home field against the Century Diamondbacks at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Preston finally turned things around against Declo on Tuesday. Preston was the clear victor by a 10-3 margin over Declo. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Preston considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Eli Hammons made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hammons was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Hammons wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Austin Gleed, who scored two runs while going 3-for-5. Zabe Mendoza was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Century, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Shelley a 10-0 shutout on Saturday. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Century has managed all season.
Like Preston, Century also got a great game from a two-way player: Elias Blackhawk. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 11 over 6.2 innings pitched. Blackhawk has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Blackhawk was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Gavin Flynn was incredible, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Ben Call, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Preston's victory bumped their record up to 7-11. As for Century, their win bumped their record up to 7-14.
Preston beat Century 6-3 in their previous meeting back in April. Will Preston repeat their success, or does Century have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
