The Watkins Memorial Warriors will venture away from home to take on the Northridge Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Watkins Memorial is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.
Last Wednesday, Watkins Memorial was able to grind out a solid victory over Johnstown-Monroe, taking the game 6-2.
Brody Kemmerling tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Trent Johnson, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Tyler Vincent, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Northridge came up short against Lakewood on Monday, falling 10-2. The loss continues a trend for the Vikings in their meetings with the Lancers: they've now lost eight in a row.
Northridge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Riley Reeves, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double. That double was Reeves' first of the season.
Watkins Memorial pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Watkins Memorial has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Watkins Memorial's way against Northridge in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, as Watkins Memorial made off with a 12-2 win. Do the Warriors have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
