The Coal City Coalers will challenge the Newark Norsemen at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Coal City will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Coal City is returning to their home field after beating Rochester on theirs, despite the fact Rochester has dominated at home this season. The Coalers came out on top against the Rockets by a score of 6-2 on Saturday.
The team relied heavily on Donnie Ladas, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. That's the most doubles he has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Newark fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Ashton-Franklin Center on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 19-16 to the Raiders. The Norsemen have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kiptyn Bleuer and Landon Begovac stepped up to the plate in a big way. Bleuer got on base in four of his six plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Begovac got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and one double. Begovac has become a key player for Newark: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 8-17 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Eastin Mcbroom, who got on base in three of his six plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Coal City's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-11. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Newark, their loss dropped their record down to 12-19.
Newark's pitching crew better be locked in on Monday. Coal City hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. It's a different story for Newark, though, as they've been averaging only 0 home runs. Will they be able to keep Coal City in the park?
Everything went Coal City's way against Newark in their previous meeting last Thursday, as Coal City made off with an 8-2 win. Do the Coalers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Norsemen turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
