The Centralia Orphans will face off against the Salem Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Centralia took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They never let Herrin get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Orphans considering their one-run performance the game before.
The team relied heavily on Drake Fahringer, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Xavier Koch, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run.
Centralia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Salem got the win against Charleston on Wednesday by a conclusive 9-1. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won three contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Rhett Detering spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up ten Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Keaton Gullion was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Salem is undefeated when Gullion posts two or more runs, but 1-2 otherwise. Noah Nix was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Salem's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Centralia, their win bumped their record up to 2-3.
Centralia's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's matchup. Centralia has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Salem, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Centralia continue to outrun the ball?
Centralia came out on top in a nail-biter against Salem when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. Does Centralia have another victory up their sleeve, or will Salem turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
