Gardiner and Erskine Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Tigers are taking a road trip to square off against the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Gardiner is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Gardiner had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Oak Hill on Thursday. The Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Raiders a 10-0 shutout. While the Tigers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-10), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Greyson Greenleaf made a splash while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those RBI marked the first that he has brought in this season.
Dillon Farnham
| 05/08/25 vs Oak Hill | 3 |
| 05/08/24 @ Medomak Valley | 2 |
| 04/30/25 vs Leavitt | 1 |
| 05/28/24 @ Cony | 1 |
| 05/22/24 @ Lincoln Academy | 1 |
In other batting news, Dillon Farnham was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kian Alves, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Gardiner kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oak Hill only managed one hit.
Meanwhile, Erskine Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They lost 7-0 to Nokomis.
Erskine Academy saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carter Ulmer, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Gardiner pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Erskine Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 0-7.
Erskine Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gardiner hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .349. It's a different story for Erskine Academy, though, as they've only averaged .172. Will they be able to contain Gardiner's hitters?
Gardiner skirted past Erskine Academy 4-2 in their previous matchup last Monday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
