Challenging the Hoppers

The Railroaders, now 11-10, appear to have really come together over the last week.  Fulton jumped from 5th to 3rd overnight after beating the Bombers and the Pirates falling to the Hoppers.  Through winning the last 6 straight games, the boys have totaled 56 runs across the plate.  Before the current streak of victories and a record of 5-10, the bats produced 68 runs total.  Average then was 4.5 runs per game.  Since last Friday and the 6 games played, the average has gone to 9.3 per game.  I think it's important also to note that Roaders won 2 of the last 6 games by two runs or less, games they have previously failed to win in the first 15 games of the season.  Have they turned the corner?  Friday and Saturday's games with Hoptown will clear the picture better.

The 1st place Hoppers, currently 15-6, also happen to have won their last 6 games.  Some OVL followers say they are the "hottest" team in the league.  It needs to noted though that the Railroaders have kept their 4 games back pace throughout the Hoppers wins, and Fulton is  now poised to cut into that lead going head-to-head with Hoptown.

How do the Railroaders and Hoppers match up?  In the first 4 meetings between the two teams, Hoptown is 3-1 over the Railroaders, close games with two losses by 2 runs and the other by 3.  Through 21 games each, below are key stats to compare:

						BATS
	Avg	Slug	OBA	RBI	Hits	HR	Runs	SO	BB	S. Bases
Hoppers	.253	.331	.363	85	163	3	106	111	88	43
Railroaders	.261	.385	.382	115	182	18	125	145	101	35
				PITCH
	ERA	Hits	HR	SO	BB	Runs	Hit B.
Hoppers	2.72	151	9	165	72	76	20
Railroaders	2.91	147	5	163	86	86	27

While the Hoppers appear to have slight edge on the pitching side, the Railroaders offense at the plate is stronger.  We do need to consider a little offset for the home runs since Fulton does have the short Little Monster in right field at home. Tonight and tomorrow will be some great baseball for sure and I expect some thrills will be had!