For the first time this season, McKenzie will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Thursday. We've got a battle between Tigers coming up. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: they have struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Red Level will arrive with seven straight victories.
McKenzie fell victim to North Bay Haven Academy and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They came up short against the Buccaneers, falling 12-0. The contest marked the first time this season in which the Tigers were not able to get on the board.
Meanwhile, everything went Red Level's way against Elba on Friday as Red Level made off with an 11-3 win. Red Level might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by eight runs or more this season.
Connor Blackwell made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in February of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jonathan Nolen, who scored a run while going 4-for-4. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Grayson Hodges, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Red Level kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Elba only managed three hits.
Red Level pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for McKenzie, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.
McKenzie took their win against Red Level in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0. Will McKenzie repeat their success, or does Red Level have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
