Mandarin is 5-0 against Baldwin since April of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Mandarin Mustangs will look to defend their home field against the Baldwin Indians at 7:00 p.m. The last three games Mandarin has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Thursday, it was a hard-fought game, but Mandarin had to settle for a 5-4 loss against Stanton.
Mandarin got a good showing from Hunter Simpson, who pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned run off three hits.
On the hitting side, Mandarin saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Drew Harmon, who went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Baldwin scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Thursday. Everything went their way against Keystone Heights as Baldwin made off with a 13-3 victory. Baldwin's win was all the more impressive since Keystone Heights was averaging only 3.83 runs allowed on the season.
Kaeson Johns looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk).
At the plate, Jesse Macik was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Gavin Scapatici was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.
Mandarin has traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-13 record this season. As for Baldwin, their victory bumped their record up to 11-7.
Mandarin was able to grind out a solid win over Baldwin when the teams last played back in April of 2021, winning 3-0. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Baldwin's Tyson Pigney, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over five innings pitched. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Mandarin to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
