The South Ripley Raiders will head out to square off against the Switzerland County Pacers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Milan hit South Ripley with a five-run sixth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Raiders came up short against the Indians, falling 11-2.
South Ripley saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Braxton Wilson, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Switzerland County never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Shawe Memorial on Monday. They never let the Hilltoppers get on the board and left with a 17-0 win. The Pacers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.
Braxton Eaglin was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Switzerland County got a massive performance out of Roman Hite, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Hite has become a key player for the Pacers: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Cooper Todd, who went 3-for-5 with six RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Switzerland County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .644. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Switzerland County's record is now 7-5. As for South Ripley, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. South Ripley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Switzerland County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
South Ripley came out on top in a nail-biter against Switzerland County when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
