Baseball Game Preview: Providence Panthers vs. Garinger Wildcats

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Previous Games

04/16/24 - Home	15-0 W
04/16/24 - Home	15-0 W
05/03/23 - Home	13-1 W
04/18/23 - Away	10-0 W
04/18/23 - Away	10-0 W
+ 2 more games

Providence has gone a perfect 7-0 against Garinger recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Providence took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They never let Ardrey Kell get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. Considering the Panthers have won ten contests by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Garinger hadn't beaten West Charlotte on the road since April 9, 2015 but that history sure didn't bother them on Wednesday. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 13-6 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Wildcats have posted against the Lions since April 9, 2015.

Edson Hesiquio Alvarez and Sabion Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Hesiquio Alvarez scored two runs and stole six bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Smith scored three runs and stole five bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those two runs gave Hesiquio Alvarez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Reiner Hernandez, who scored two runs and stole five bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.

Garinger always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Providence pushed their record up to 13-2 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Garinger, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-10.

Providence took their win against Garinger in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-0 score. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.