The Sparta Trojans will head out on the road to take on the Norwood Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Sparta is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Sparta had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 13-run drubbing they dealt Greenwood on Thursday. The Trojans blew past the Blue Jays 17-4. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Trojans considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Ben Miller was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.
Braylen Luttrull
| 04/17/25 vs Greenwood | 2 |
| 04/15/25 vs Blue Eye | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Bradleyville | 1 |
| 04/12/25 @ Ash Grove | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Cassville | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
In other batting news, Sparta got a massive performance out of Braylen Luttrull, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Luttrull has been hot for a while, having posted at least one stolen base the last nine times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Layne Rains, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Sparta always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .703. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Norwood has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 4.08 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Monday. They fell 10-5 to Seymour.
Norwood saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gary Williams, who went 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run marked the first that Williams has launched this season.
Sparta pushed their record up to 7-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Norwood, their loss dropped their record down to 9-3.
Sparta came up short against Norwood when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 5-0. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
