The Midland Trail Patriots will take on the PikeView Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
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 lost 9-2 to the Cavaliers. The Patriots' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Preston Eades
| 05/07/26 @ Greater Beckley Christian | 5 |
| 05/14/26 vs Greenbrier West | 3 |
| 05/13/26 vs Webster County | 3 |
| 05/11/26 vs Bluefield | 2 |
| 04/06/26 vs Poca | 2 |
| + 11 more games |
Preston Eades was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Midland Trail's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is 2-1 (and 7-17 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, PikeView had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Spartans. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted against the Spartans 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, Nate Redmond was incredible, going 1-for-2 with five stolen bases and one run. Those five stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trenton Tolliver, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
PikeView's win bumped their record up to 21-9. As for Midland Trail, their loss dropped their record down to 9-18.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Midland Trail has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like PikeView struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
