Baseball Preview: Chugiak Mustangs vs. Service Cougars
Chugiak is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Service is on a six-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Chugiak Mustangs will take on the Service Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Chugiak is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Dimond, who was ranked 14th in their home state at the time (Chugiak was ranked third). Chugiak never let Dimond onto the board and left with a 12-0 victory on Saturday.
Chugiak got a great performance from Preston Rau as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Blake Yawit and Fischer Sims did most of the damage at the plate: Yawit went 2-for-3 with four RBI, a stolen base, and a run, while Sims scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Sims has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Cage, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Service made easy work of Lathrop on Saturday and carried off a 12-0 win.
Landon Martindale made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Martindale was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Coen Niclai, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. Sebastian Fournier was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Chugiak is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 8-3-1 record this season. As for Service, their victory bumped their record up to 13-0-1.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Chugiak has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .476. However, it's not like Service struggles in that department as they've averaged .435. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
