The Kamiak Knights will take on the Lake Stevens Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Kamiak 2.3, Lake Stevens 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lake Stevens will be up against a hot Kamiak team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Kamiak's pitchers stepped up to hand Cascade a 3-0 shutout on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Joe Estes looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single hit any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Maddux Phimmasane and Malachi Noet did most of the damage at the plate: Phimmasane scored two runs while going 3-for-3, while Noet went 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Colby Koga was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Lake Stevens came up short against Shorewood on Tuesday and fell 9-6.
Aspen Alexander and Seth Danielson did some serious damage despite the final result: Alexander went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI, while Danielson scored two runs while going 2-for-3. That's the most RBI Alexander has posted since back in April of 2024. Julian Wilson also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Kamiak pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Lake Stevens, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Kamiak has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lake Stevens struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Kamiak skirted past Lake Stevens 5-4 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will Kamiak repeat their success, or does Lake Stevens has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
