Eagle River hasn't had much luck against Service recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wolves will host the Cougars at 5:15 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Eagle River comes in on three and Service on 24.
Eagle River is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: West Anchorage, who was ranked 18th at the time (Eagle River was ranked fourth). The Wolves narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Eagles 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wolves have posted since May 23, 2024.
Eagle River's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Liam Lierman, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Eagle River hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Service got the win against Bartlett on Thursday by a conclusive 15-3. Considering the Cougars have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Jazz Abad made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Abad was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Noah Cummings was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Ryker Shreck was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Service pushed their record up to 11-0 with the victory, which was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Eagle River, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eagle River has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Service struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eagle River couldn't quite finish off Service in their previous meeting two weeks ago and fell 5-3. Will the Wolves have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
