The Renaissance Phoenix are taking a road trip to square off against the Ecorse Red Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Cass Tech hit Renaissance with a eight-run second inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Phoenix came up short against the Technicians, falling 10-0. The Phoenix's defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ecorse). Everything went their way against Henry Ford Academy on Thursday as they made off with a 20-1 victory. The Red Raiders have beaten the Trojans the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Trojans has come to flipping the script.
Brayan Santana looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Keny Carrasco and Steven Mora did most of the damage at the plate: Carrasco went 4-for-5 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs, while Mora fired off two home runs and six RBI while going 2-for-3. Carrasco continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mike Decarlo, who went 2-for-3 with four runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI.
Ecorse always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .649. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Henry Ford Academy only posted an OBP of .353.
Ecorse's record now sits at 10-5. As for Renaissance, their loss dropped their record down to 8-5.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Renaissance has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .480. However, it's not like Ecorse struggles in that department as they've averaged .504. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Renaissance came up short against Ecorse in their previous matchup back in May of 2022, falling 9-6. Can the Phoenix avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.