The Grenada Chargers are taking a road trip to square off against the Warren Central Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Grenada has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Grenada heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Saturday. They and Ridgeland finished up their contest with a 0-0 tie.
Meanwhile, Warren Central came tearing into Saturday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Mustangs.
Maddox Lynch made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jacob Kealhofer, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lester Martin, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Warren Central pushed their record up to 18-9 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. Grenada's tie makes their record 17-10-1 this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grenada has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Warren Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Grenada came out on top in a nail-biter against Warren Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2016, sneaking past 1-0. Will the Chargers repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
