Baseball Game Preview: Webster Groves Statesmen vs. St. Dominic Crusaders

The Webster Groves Statesmen are taking a road trip to face off against the St. Dominic Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Webster Groves can't be too worried about heading out to take on St. Dominic: they just beat Festus at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Statesmen had just enough and edged out the Tigers 4-2. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Statesmen as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, St. Dominic waltzed into their match on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Wildcats. Considering the Crusaders have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Brennan Swindler was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.

In other batting news, Anthony Flamm Jr. was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Jacob Burger also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

St. Dominic hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive contests.

St. Dominic's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-6-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Webster Groves, their record now sits at 9-19.