Baseball Preview: Rye Thunderbolts vs. Swink Lions
The Rye Thunderbolts will head out on the road to square off against the Swink Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Rye has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with five straight defeats, while Swink will come in with three straight victories.
On Tuesday, Rye came up short against Monte Vista and fell 11-8.
Will Hamler made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Brandon Benz, who went 2-for-5 with a home run, a stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Swink put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Custer County as Swink made off with a 24-1 win. Swink's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Nick Paolucci was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Paolucci has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Paolucci was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Hunter Bauserman was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with three runs, three doubles, and four RBI. Nate Cabrera was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Rye now has a losing record at 7-8. As for Swink, they pushed their record up to 12-4 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Rye has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Swink struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.4. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Rye's way against Swink in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 as Rye made off with a 14-4 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rye since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
