The Petersburg Vikings will head out to challenge the Lincoln Cougars at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Petersburg is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
While Petersburg's win against Philip Barbour wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Vikings sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-8 victory over the Colts on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Vikings considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Kinsley Crites looked comfortable as she tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ella Markwell, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Karlie DiBenedetto also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Lincoln never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Liberty with a sharp 16-0 win. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by ten runs or more this season.
Lincoln got a big performance out of Makiah Ford, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Reese Bennett was another key player, going 1-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
Lincoln always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Petersburg has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Lincoln, they pushed their record up to 9-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
Petersburg suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to Lincoln when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
