Manchester and Fayetteville-Perry are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Manchester Greyhounds are on the road again on Thursday to play the Fayetteville-Perry Rockets at 5:00 p.m. Manchester is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Manchester scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 15-2 margin over West Union. The victory was just what Manchester needed coming off of a 10-3 defeat in their prior match.
Rylie Young made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Young was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Manchester got a massive performance out of Jenna Campbell, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Chloe Freeman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Fayetteville-Perry had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 6-2.
Like Manchester, Fayetteville-Perry also got a great game from a two-way player: Izabella Waddle. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Waddle has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings every time she's pitched this season. Waddle was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, Ava Wells was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5. Lilly Carlier was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Manchester pushed their record up to 3-2 with that win, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs per game. As for Fayetteville-Perry, their record is now 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Manchester has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fayetteville-Perry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 12.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Manchester skirted past Fayetteville-Perry 7-5 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Manchester 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
