The Wyoming East Warriors will head out on the road to square off against the Midland Trail Patriots at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Wyoming East's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Nicholas County hitters got past them. The Warriors lost 13-7 to the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Warriors have struggled against the Grizzlies recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Zach Hunt was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Hunt was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Braxton Morgan made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That double was his first of the season. Owen Biggs was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run.
Meanwhile, Midland Trail was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They came up short against Summers County, falling 14-4.
Greg Cramer was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Weis, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Wyoming East's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 14-4. As for Midland Trail, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-10.
Wyoming East's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Warriors have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Midland Trail, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Wyoming East continue to outrun the ball?
Wyoming East took their victory against Midland Trail in their previous meeting on April 8th by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
