The Luther Prep Phoenix are taking a road trip to face off against the Living Word Lutheran Timberwolves at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Luther Prep took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Kenosha Christian Life with a sharp 11-1 win. The Phoenix have beaten the Eagles the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Eagles has come to flipping the script.
Danny Taylor and Micah Westendorf did most of the damage at the plate: Taylor went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Westendorf went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Jude Zietlow also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.
Meanwhile, Living Word Lutheran had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Patriots an 11-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Timberwolves, who have now won three matches by 11 runs or more so far this season.
Gavin Weissenburger made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Living Word Lutheran is 2-1 when Weissenburger allows two or fewer hits, but 2-3 otherwise. Weissenburger was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Living Word Lutheran got a massive performance out of Gavin LaPerriere, who went 1-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Another player making a difference was Gabe Lambrecht, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Living Word Lutheran hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Heritage Christian struck out eight times.
Luther Prep's record now sits at 3-5. As for Living Word Lutheran, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Luther Prep has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Living Word Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Luther Prep couldn't quite finish off Living Word Lutheran in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can the Phoenix avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
