Baseball Game Preview: Dayton Dust Devils vs. Lowry Buckaroos

For the second straight game, Dayton will face off against Lowry. The Dust Devils will be playing in front of their home fans against the Buckaroos at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Dayton has given up an average of 7.1 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Dayton managed to slip by Lowry the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Dust Devils came up short against the Buckaroos on Thursday, falling 17-2. Having soared to a lofty 19 runs in the game before, the Dust Devils couldn't push the score so high this time.

For Lowry's part, ReiCyan Grau was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). Grau is becoming a predictor of Lowry's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 9-12 when he doesn't). Grau was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Erick Valencia, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Matthew Casalez, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.

Lowry kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. They are 5-2 when they post 11 or more hits.

With the victory, Lowry broke their five-game losing streak and moved their record to 11-13. As for Dayton, they dropped their record down to 10-13 with the defeat, which was their seventh straight at home.