Baseball Game Preview: Howell Vikings vs. Staley Falcons

The Howell Vikings will head out to challenge the Staley Falcons at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Howell 2.8, Staley 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.

On Wednesday, Howell earned a 6-1 win over Troy-Buchanan. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, Staley put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Rockhurst as they made off with a 10-3 win. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by seven runs or more this season.

Jake Thomas looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits.

At the plate, Staley let Evan Abbott and Easton Phillippe run wild. Abbott went 3-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and one double, while Phillippe scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3. That double marked the first that Abbott hit this season. Another player making a difference was Grant Madrid, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Staley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Staley's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-0. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Howell, their record is now 10-1.

Everything went Howell's way against Staley when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Howell made off with a 14-4 victory. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.