East Ridge is 8-2 against Ocoee since March of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The East Ridge Knights are on the road again to play the Ocoee Knights at 7:00 p.m. East Ridge hasn't scored more than two runs for four games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Last Monday, East Ridge didn't have quite enough to beat Boardman and fell 3-2.
Colin Raleigh was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, East Ridge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Asa Benz, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Ocoee entered their tilt with Evans with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Trojans 7-1.
Ocoee also got a great performance from Trenton Nice as he tossed 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Nice has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive pitching appearances. Brandon Smith relieved him and did a solid job, pitching 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Angel Martinez, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
East Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 4-11. As for Ocoee, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. East Ridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ocoee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
East Ridge was able to grind out a solid win over Ocoee when the teams last played back in May of 2023, winning 11-7. Does East Ridge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ocoee turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
