The PikeView Panthers will head out to square off against the Midland Trail Patriots at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. PikeView will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
While PikeView's win against Greenbrier East wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers skirted past the Spartans 4-3. The game was the first time the Panthers have beaten the Spartans on their field since April 13, 2016.
Eli Hilling spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nate Redmond, who went 1-for-2 with five stolen bases and one run. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1 stolen bases per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Trenton Tolliver, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Midland Trail and Greenbrier West meet (five straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Thursday. The Patriots came up short against the Cavaliers, falling 9-2. The Patriots' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Preston Eades made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Midland Trail is 2-1 when Eades posts three or more hits, but 7-17 otherwise.
Midland Trail's loss dropped their record down to 9-18. As for PikeView, their victory bumped their record up to 21-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. PikeView has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Midland Trail struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
