The Grapeland Sandies will be playing in front of their home fans against the Normangee Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Grapeland beat Centerville 8-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for Grapeland.
Slade Harris was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Harris was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Harris wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Eli Deleon, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Gabe Deleon, who scored a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Normangee was not the first on the board on Tuesday, but they got there more often. They blew past Latexo 13-2.
Like Grapeland, Normangee also got a great game from a two-way player: Dallas Jones. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Jones has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Jones was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Normangee let Farrell Butler and Hunter Garner loose on the outfield. Butler got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and a triple, while Garner scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Butler is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lincoln McAllister, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Grapeland is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. As for Normangee, the win got them back to even at 8-8-1.
Grapeland was able to grind out a solid victory over Normangee in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, winning 5-2. Will Grapeland repeat their success, or does Normangee have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
