Paw Paw is 2-8 against Vicksburg since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Red Wolves will venture away from home to take on the Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m. Paw Paw is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Paw Paw after they put the first run on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They came up short against Niles, falling 16-4. The Red Wolves have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Landon Buhl made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Remi Dempsey, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Vicksburg had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Otsego an 11-0 shutout.
Caden Chisholm looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April.
On the hitting side, Vicksburg got a massive performance out of Mitch Beyer, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Vicksburg is 5-1 when Beyer posts two or more runs, but 6-7-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Maddox Rosalin, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Vicksburg hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive games.
Vicksburg's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-8-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Paw Paw, their loss dropped their record down to 20-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Paw Paw has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Vicksburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Paw Paw couldn't quite finish off Vicksburg when the teams last played back in April and fell 15-13. Can the Red Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
