The Walnut Ridge Bobcats will head out on the road to take on the West Memphis Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Walnut Ridge's pitching crew has only allowed 2.4 runs per game this season, so West Memphis' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Walnut Ridge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arkansas' top teams: Sloan-Hendrix, who was ranked 15th at the time (Walnut Ridge was ranked 16th). Everything went Walnut Ridge's way against Sloan-Hendrix on Thursday as Walnut Ridge made off with an 11-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Bobcats, who have now won four contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
COLLIN ANDREWS and JACE BLAKE did most of the damage at the plate: ANDREWS went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs, while BLAKE scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That home run marked the first that ANDREWS launched this season. RILEY RICHEY was another key player, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, West Memphis suffered their closest loss since March 1, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of White Station by a score of 8-6.
Ajay Eggerson was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing Four bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Cyrone Madison, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Walnut Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. West Memphis' defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
West Memphis' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Walnut Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. It's a different story for West Memphis, though, as they've only averaged .171. Will they be able to contain Walnut Ridge's hitters?
Walnut Ridge came out on top in a nail-biter against West Memphis when the teams last played back in February of 2024, sneaking past 9-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for Walnut Ridge 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
