Baseball Game Preview: Independence/Gilmanton Indees vs. Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran Lancers

The Independence/Gilmanton Indees will head out to square off against the Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran Lancers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Independence/Gilmanton's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

On Tuesday, Independence/Gilmanton didn't have quite enough to beat Arcadia and fell 4-3. The Indees have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last six times Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran and Cochrane-Fountain City have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Lancers came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 9-3 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).

Derek Wales made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.

In other batting news, Jake Zimmerman was excellent, earning two runs and three stolen bases. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Anton Knutson, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Independence/Gilmanton's loss dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran, the win also got them back to even at 5-5.

Independence/Gilmanton came out on top in a nail-biter against Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indees since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.