Baseball Game Preview: Stevenson Spartans vs. Western International Cowboys

The Stevenson Spartans will face off against the Western International Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Stevenson came up short against Edison Academy on Tuesday, falling 11-5. The Spartans haven't had much luck with the Pioneers recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Andrew Grzanowski and Cameron Kitchen stepped up to the plate in a big way. Grzanowski went 2-for-3 with one run and one double, while Kitchen went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That double marked the first that Kitchen has hit this season.

Western International came out on top against Cass Tech on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run first inning. The Cowboys walked away with a 5-2 win over the Technicians. The victory continues a trend for the Cowboys in their matchups with the Technicians: they've now won four in a row.

Adrian Grullon tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over 5.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Western International's win was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Daniel Crosby, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI Crosby has posted over his last nine contests. Another was Emilio Zuniga, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs.

Western International's victory bumped their record up to 13-5. As for Stevenson, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-14.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Stevenson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Western International struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Stevenson took their win against Western International in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-2 score. Will the Spartans repeat their success, or do the Cowboys have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.