The South Ripley Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Jac-Cen-Del Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
South Ripley took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over Rising Sun. The win continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Shiners: they've now won three in a row.
Mason McNew made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). McNew was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trenton Smith, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Brogan Buchanan also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
South Ripley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rising Sun only posted an OBP of .258.
Meanwhile, Jac-Cen-Del posted their closest victory since May 18, 2024 on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Waldron 5-3.
Like South Ripley, Jac-Cen-Del also got a great game from a two-way player: Blake Wagner. On the mound, Wagner tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Brody Huff struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Wagner also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Jac-Cen-Del is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise. At bat, Wagner got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI, while Huff went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Neil Sullivan, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those four hits gave him a new career-high.
South Ripley pushed their record up to 3-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Jac-Cen-Del, their record is now 5-2.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. South Ripley has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .473. However, it's not like Jac-Cen-Del struggles in that department as they've averaged .467. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Ripley skirted past Jac-Cen-Del 4-3 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
