Two dominant pitchers in Kolby Stringer and Riley Case are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The West Marion Trojans will face off against the Loyd Star Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, it was close, but West Marion sidestepped Greene County for a 5-4 victory. That's two games straight that West Marion has won by just one run.
Nik Carney and Jude Stringer made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Carney pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). Meanwhile, Stringer didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Carney has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Carney scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Stringer scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jonathon Miller, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Another player making a difference was Andre Sumrall, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Loyd Star had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past the Bruins 10-9.
Loyd Star got a massive performance out of Conner Cunningham, who went 2-for-3 with five RBI and two doubles. Caleb Smith was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-5.
West Marion has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season. As for Loyd Star, their win bumped their record up to 8-3.
West Marion came out on top in a nail-biter against Loyd Star in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 6-5. Does West Marion have another victory up their sleeve, or will Loyd Star turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
