The Ola Mustangs are taking a road trip to take on the McIntosh Chiefs at 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Ola comes in on 20 and McIntosh on four.
If Ola beats McIntosh with 11 runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Mustangs were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Union Grove on Friday. Considering the Mustangs have won 17 games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, while McIntosh put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Banneker. The Chiefs blew past the Trojans 18-0. The Chiefs are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the ninth contest they've won by 6+ runs this season.
Alex White and Elliott Sturbaum made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, White pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Sturbaum pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. At bat, White scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Sturbaum scored three runs while going 1-for-2. Those three runs gave Sturbaum a new career-high.
In other batting news, Knox Lofstad was incredible, going 2-for-3 with five RBI, one triple, and one run. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Noah Ashley was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
McIntosh was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .345 or higher in four consecutive matches.
Ola's win was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 23-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for McIntosh, their record now sits at 11-12.
Ola took their win against McIntosh in their previous matchup back in February by a conclusive 11-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
