The First Presbyterian Day Vikings will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Gatewood Gators at 5:00 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (First Presbyterian Day: 3.8, Gatewood: 2.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
First Presbyterian Day is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Georgia's top teams: Tift County, who was ranked fifth in their home state at the time (First Presbyterian Day was ranked 21st). First Presbyterian Day suffered a tough 10-3 loss at the hands of Tift County on Wednesday. First Presbyterian Day's defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
First Presbyterian Day got a good showing from Grant Martin, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Keon Johnson was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as he's now launched at least one in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady McHugh, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Gatewood's offense. They fell just short of Pinewood Christian by a score of 1-0 on Tuesday. Gatewood has struggled against Pinewood Christian recently, as their matchup on Tuesday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Lawson Wooten was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched.
First Presbyterian Day's loss dropped their record down to 17-4. As for Gatewood, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. First Presbyterian Day has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gatewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
First Presbyterian Day might still be hurting after the 9-2 loss they got from Gatewood when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Can First Presbyterian Day avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
