The Orcas Island Vikings will face off against the Granite Falls Tigers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Granite Falls will be up against a hot Orcas Island team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Vikings put the hurt on Coupeville with a sharp 12-2 victory on Thursday. The Vikings not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 5th (when they won 18-3).
Meanwhile, Granite Falls' hitters rose to the challenge against a Hurricanes pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.56 runs allowed on Thursday. The Tigers were the clear victors by a 12-5 margin over Mount Vernon Christian. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won six matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Drake Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Granite Falls is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-9 otherwise. Smith was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two triples, five RBI, and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one triple the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaden Sturm, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. He also got a hit, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Landon Gwinner, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Orcas Island's win bumped their record up to 7-9. As for Granite Falls, their victory bumped their record up to 9-10.
Orcas Island suffered a grim 17-0 defeat to Granite Falls when the teams last played back in March. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
