The Garfield Rams will venture away from home to take on the Maple Heights Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Garfield is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Garfield fell victim to Smithville and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They came up short against the Smithies, falling 23-0.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Maple Heights). Everything went their way against Richmond Heights two weeks ago as they made off with a 24-12 win. The victory continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won four in a row.
Shawn Boyd made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 4.1 innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off only two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs. Maple Heights is 4-1 when Boyd posts two or more runs, but 1-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, Xavier Mosley was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with eight stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Maple Heights' success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 2-7 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Stephen Tillis, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with five stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs.
Maple Heights was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2025.
Garfield's loss dropped their record down to 1-13. As for Maple Heights, their record now sits at 5-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Garfield has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Maple Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
