Baseball Game Preview: Poudre Impalas vs. Fossil Ridge SaberCats

For the second straight game, Poudre will face off against Fossil Ridge. The Impalas will be playing at home against the SaberCats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Poudre has given up an average of 7 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Poudre fell victim to Fossil Ridge and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the SaberCats, falling 20-0. The defeat continues a trend for the Impalas in their meetings with the SaberCats: they've now lost eight in a row.

For Fossil Ridge's part, Logan Hessler looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hessler has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Luc Gaca-Thiele, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Mason Griffin was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base.

Fossil Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .600. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Fossil Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.5 runs over those games. As for Poudre, their loss dropped their record down to 8-6.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Poudre has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fossil Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.