The Lexington Minutemen are taking a road trip to challenge the Perkins Pirates at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Lexington is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
If Lexington beats Perkins with ten runs on Saturday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Minutemen didn't even let Wooster on the board on Wednesday, marking the Minutemen's second-straight 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Minutemen, who have now won ten contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Makaree Chapman was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alexis Cantrell, who went 1-for-3 with three runs and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Quinn Patrick, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Lexington hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Perkins' offense. They lost 18-0 to Clyde on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty 19 runs in the game before, the Pirates' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Lexington pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Perkins, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.
Perkins' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lexington has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. It's a different story for Perkins, though, as they've been averaging 11.6 hits. Given Lexington's sizable advantage in that area, the Pirates will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lexington took their win against Perkins in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Minutemen since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
