The Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes will take on the Gatewood Gators at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Monroe Area was able to grind out a solid win over Social Circle, taking the game 8-5.
Ayden Tabone looked comfortable as he pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kesler Locsin was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Parker Sims, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Monroe Area hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Thursday Gatewood sidestepped First Presbyterian Day for a 3-1 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Gators.
The team relied heavily on Jayden Moss, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Gatewood's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-3. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to strikeouts: they averaged an imposing 8.29 strikeouts in those games compared to only three in the others. As for Monroe Area, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Monroe Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gatewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
