Baseball Game Preview: Routt Catholic Rockets vs. Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers

The Routt Catholic Rockets will head out to face off against the Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Routt Catholic took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 12-4 margin over Triopia/Meredosia-Chambersburg/Virginia. The Rockets haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Jace Lautemann

Runs

03/28/25 vs Pawnee	3
03/24/25 vs Riverton	3
03/22/25 vs Centennial	3
03/21/25 vs Collinsville	3
04/28/25 vs Triopia/Meredosia-Chambersburg/Virginia	2
+ 9 more games

Jace Lautemann and Kale Reich were major factors no matter where they played. Throwing, Lautemann pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Reich pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Lautemann went 2-for-3 with two triples, two runs, and one RBI, while Reich went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Lautemann is becoming a predictor of Routt Catholic's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-6 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Routt Catholic let Dalton Brown and Samuel Long run wild. Brown went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, while Long went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. That's the most hits Brown has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Eli Olson, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.

Meanwhile, Mt. Pulaski never let their opponents score on Saturday. They put the hurt on Lanphier with a sharp 16-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Hilltoppers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Routt Catholic pushed their record up to 14-6 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Mt. Pulaski, their record is now 14-3.