The Ripley Vikings will challenge the Greenbrier East Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Ripley's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Shady Spring 15-0. Winning may never get old, but the Vikings sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Jackson Curry made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Curry was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Landon Meadows was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Kyler Doss was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
Ripley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .438. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
While Greenbrier East didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-21), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by an 8-0 margin over Princeton on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Spartans.
The team relied heavily on Zion Detko, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played.
Ripley pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average this season. As for Greenbrier East, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ripley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Greenbrier East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ripley couldn't quite get it done against Greenbrier East in their previous matchup back in March of 2022 as they fell 14-9. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
