The Perry Ramblers will challenge the Fulton Pirates at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Perry has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with seven straight losses, while Fulton will come in with 13 straight wins.
Lansing Christian hit Perry with a four-run first inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Ramblers took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pilgrims.
Perry saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brady Burns, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That double was Burns' first of the season.
Meanwhile, Fulton posted their closest victory since April 25th on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Ovid-Elsie, sneaking past 11-9.
Parker Duflo made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted over his last 12 matches.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carson Litwiller, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, three doubles, and four RBI. Those three doubles gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Parker Billings, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Fulton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .513. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .513 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Fulton's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Perry, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-12.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Perry has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Fulton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Perry skirted past Fulton 8-7 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Ramblers repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
