Highland is 6-0 against Centralia since May of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Highland Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Centralia Orphans at 4:30 p.m. Highland is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
On Wednesday, it was a hard-fought game, but Highland had to settle for a 5-4 defeat against O'Fallon.
Highland got a good showing from Alex Howard, who tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Howard has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Highland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Trey Koishor, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Centralia has not done well against Salem recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Centralia sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Salem.
Cruz Harlan was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Michael Organ, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Highland has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 25-5-1 record this season. As for Centralia, their victory bumped their record up to 15-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Highland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Centralia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Highland's way against Centralia when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as Highland made off with a 6-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Highland since the squad 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
