The El Dorado Cougars will face off against the Wheatland Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. El Dorado has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight losses, while Wheatland will come in with four straight wins.
El Dorado is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest defeat since March 20th on Friday. They lost 12-5 to Bradshaw Christian.
Joe Parsons was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits. Parsons was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, Rylan Phillips was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, while Wheatland put up some runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for River City. The Pirates were the clear victors by an 8-0 margin over the Raiders. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Jaxon Becker's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Hughston Rodney was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Brodee Malecha, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Wheatland's victory bumped their record up to 15-6. As for El Dorado, their loss dropped their record down to 12-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. El Dorado has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Wheatland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
