Baseball Preview: Logan Longhorns vs. Grady Bronchos
Logan has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Grady Bronchos at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Logan is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.7 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Logan after they put the first points on the board last Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Melrose by a score of 4-2. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest runs Logan has scored all season.
Aydin Kotara put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Kotara was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Kotara wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kaeden Stoner, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Grady had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the SonBlazers with a sharp 14-2 victory. Considering Grady has won eight games by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Logan, Grady also got a great game from a two-way player: Zane Rush. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Rush has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Rush was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Xavier Romero, who scored three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Deakin Ragland, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Logan's loss ended a 20-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 16-4. As for Grady, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 12-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Logan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grady struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Logan came out on top in a nail-biter against Grady in their previous matchup two weeks ago, sneaking past 8-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for Logan 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
