Fairview has won six straight games at home, while Girard has won six straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Wednesday. The Tigers will welcome the Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Fairview's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They blew past Conneaut Area 15-0. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won 11 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Robert Benford was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI.
In other batting news, Fairview got a massive performance out of Brayden Hennessy, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Andrew Stevens was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Fairview was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .600. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .345 or higher in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Girard got the win against Seneca on Tuesday by a conclusive 13-0. With that victory, the Yellowjackets brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Like Fairview, Girard also got a great game from a two-way player: Sam Schepers. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave Schepers a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple and two RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryan St. Julien, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Mussett, who earned three runs and one stolen base.
Girard's win bumped their record up to 11-5. As for Fairview, their victory bumped their record up to 12-0-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fairview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Girard struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fairview was able to grind out a solid win over Girard in their previous meeting back in April, winning 7-3. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Yellowjackets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
